


The Darkening Path

by broken_hearted_bard



Series: Where The Path Diverges [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Adds Additional Courses to Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Classical Doctrinal Belief System, Dark Arts, Dark Harry, Dark Magick, Dark!Harry, Established Theo Nott & Harry Potter Friendship, F/F, F/M, Gen, Good Slytherins, Grimmauld Place, Harry Is Not Anti-Muggle, Illegal Club, M/M, Mostly Canon Through Book Three, Multi, OOC!Harry, Parseltongue, Parseltongue Magick, Smart!Harry, Studious!Harry, The Chamber Of Secrets, Traditionalism, non-canon, not canon, powerful!Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-17
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2018-04-20 23:25:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 64,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4806158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broken_hearted_bard/pseuds/broken_hearted_bard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Peter Pettigrew DOESN'T escape from Remus, Sirius and Harry and instead is turned over to Headmaster Dumbledore, it changes Harry's life.</p><p>We pick up the summer after 3rd year (please see the timeline note, thank you) with Harry moving into a renovated Grimmauld Place with Sirius and Remus.<br/>Mostly canon through Prisoner of Azkaban.</p><p>Dark!Harry does not mean he's going to go around killing people, so let's stay away from that assumption. Okay? Thank you. :)</p><p>No money is being made, no harm is intended. The Harry Potter world (aside from the things I have added to it) all belong to the blonde lady who makes millions off it. You know, the author, J.K. What'sHerName.</p><p>Please, please read the tags and the author's notes before you comment. This is Dark!Harry. This is traditionalist!Harry. This is NOT anti-muggle Harry. This is not Ron and Hermione bashing, but it is anti Ron and Hermione's friendship with Harry. There are good Slytherins in this fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Necessary Precautions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry takes some necessary precautions to protect his things.  
> We also learn a bit more about Sirius, and we discover some of the things Harry's doing with his summer.
> 
> Again, this chapter is exposition-heavy. I promise we'll get to some dialogue between people, etc. There's just a lot of setting-up to do. :)

Blood Magick, as far as Harry was aware, was neither all Dark Arts nor all illegal. He knew because, after finding out that it was blood wards which had forced him to live with the Dursleys, he'd done extensive research on the subject. In fact, through owl-purchase, he already owned two of the books on blood magick that were in the attic. Blood wards were completely legal unless they a) used the blood of an unwilling subject or b) used so much blood as to cause a being, be they human or creature, undue harm, stress, danger or death. Finally, blood magick was held to the same standards (legal unless it met a or b), but also held to another standard, illegal if c) the magick performed caused undue harm, influence, suffering or pain [to anyone] with an addendum against necromancy added in the late 1700s.

Harry had used blood wards on several of his possessions, including his school-trunk and the two trunks he'd taken from the attic. He'd also used blood wards on the journals he kept. These journals detailed his life, but many detailed his studies on potions, dark arts, defense against the dark arts, rites and rituals and pureblood customs and traditions. He'd begun keeping the ones attributed to his studies in his second year, but the ones detailing his life went back to the summer he'd found out he was a wizard.

By his second week at Grimmauld Place, which was also the second week of July, it became clear to Harry that Sirius was somewhat childish and also not 100% trustworthy. He liked Sirius, he enjoyed the time they spent together, he was thrilled to never have to go back to the Dursleys, or their home, and he was very happy with the connection Sirius (and Remus) gave him to his parents. 

However, Sirius had definite beliefs and attitudes that Harry just could not understand. Sirius's pro-muggle, pro-equality beliefs about muggles - though he'd never spent any time with them - made no sense to Harry, who had grown up in the muggle world. Although he believed muggles were valuable and worthy of respect, he also understood the differences between the muggle and magical world. To Harry, it was simple fact that, in some very key ways, wizards were superior to muggles -- because wizards had magick. Harry never, ever, wanted to go back to a world in which he remained ignorant of magick and all it had to offer. 

Sirius also had a set-in-stone belief that there were good people, there were bad people, and there were Death Eaters. To Sirius, Death Eaters were a distinct breed of human witch or wizard that were absolutely unredeemable and could never be believed or trusted no matter what -- _once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater_. Although Harry's life was forever changed, and miserably so in some cases, by Lord Voldemort....Harry just could not believe anything in the world was so black and white.

*** ***

By the third week in July, Harry was made aware of another opinion that Sirius carried that Harry couldn't understand. Sirius felt a complete and encompassing disdain for any of the old traditions. According to Sirius, nothing he'd grown up with and nothing he'd learned from the Pureblood world of wizards, from the Black Family, or from any experience with the Old Religion was valuable or worth holding onto. Harry loved the Rites and Rituals course at Hogwarts. He loved learning the ways and rituals (circles, rites, spells, tools) of the Old Religion, and he looked forward to the Yule circle during the Christmas holidays that he'd get to participate in this year. He could not, no matter how hard he tried, figure out why Sirius was so set against anything that had come before.

The final nail in the coffin, so to speak, was Sirius's complete lack of regard for anyone else's, but especially Harry's, privacy. At least a dozen times since Harry had arrived, Sirius had barged into his room without knocking (twice by unlocking Harry's locking charms) to discuss Quidditch, or talk about Harry's dad, or tell Harry something Sirius was determined he know. Harry had repeatedly asked Sirius to knock and to respect his privacy, but the requests had been either ignored or just denied. This, coupled with Sirius's adolescent penchant for playing 'harmless' tricks on both Harry and Remus or telling off-colour jokes, made Sirius (to Harry's mind) almost completely untrustworthy.

His summer homework was complete, though there were two assignments he'd had to write to Professor Zabini about given Sirius's attitude about ritual magick; Harry had been forbidden to practice any. Although Harry wasn't abiding by that rule in the privacy of his own room, the homework required that Harry practice outside and, for one of the assignments, in the company of at least one witness. 

The most unnerving thing, and the thing that put Harry the most ill-at-ease, happened exactly one-week before his birthday, while Harry had been down in the basement -- working on potions the whole of the morning.

During his third year, he'd remade all the potions from his first year, with accompanying essays -- a deal he'd worked out with Professor Snape that had earned him extra points and a bump in grade, and which Harry had every intention of doing again. So, this summer, he'd worked on nearly all of the potions from his second year, with accompanying essays. He only had a handful of potions left, and he was determined to finish them so that he could spend the school year remaking the potions from third year, and doing better over-all in potions class (and, honestly, doing better in all his classes would be ideal).

After finishing his potion, he'd left the basement and gone up to his room to shower and change. Upon entering, he'd looked around with both suspicion and paranoia. He was prone to both, having lived in a dorm full of Gryffindor boys and having lived with his Aunt Petunia. So, maybe it was a little odd that he'd left tells for himself, but that didn't change the fact that his room had been rifled through.

The piece of sellotape he'd put on his closet door was broken, a corner of the large, square rug he'd picked out and carefully placed down was turned up, two of his schoolbooks were facing the wrong way on his desk, and one of the two paintings on his walls was slightly crooked. Instead of jumping to elaborate conclusions, Harry took a deep breath.

"Kreacher?" he called quietly.

"Master Harry is needing Kreacher for something?" Kreacher asked after he popped in.

Harry shook his head. "Have you cleaned my room while I was down in the basement?" he asked.

"No, Master Harry. Kreacher has not been in Master's room. It is Friday, Master Harry. Kreacher only cleans Master Harry's bedroom on Sundays," Kreacher replied.

Harry nodded. "Can you keep my secrets, Kreacher?"

"Kreacher would be honoured to keep Master Harry's secrets! Kreacher can do this! Master Harry is the rightful heir of the noble house of Black, Kreacher heard Master Sirius say so!" Kreacher exclaimed.

"Someone has been through my things," Harry replied softly. "Someone has rifled through my room, looking through my things."

"Is this the secret Master Harry wants Kreacher to keep?" Kreacher asked.

"The first part of the secret, yes. The second part is that I am aware someone has been through my room. The third part is that I intend to rectify the situation by the use of blood wards. The fourth part is that they were probably not able to find whatever they were after because I used blood wards on that which I keep most important. Does that make sense, Kreacher?" Harry explained.

"Oh, yes, Master Harry! Kreacher understands! Kreacher will keep any and all of Master Harry's secrets!" Kreacher replied.

Harry checked under his bed, using his wand and a quick spell to detect the trunk that had been hidden by House-Elf magick underneath the bed. "It is a very good thing that I had you hide this trunk, but an even better decision to spell them both to look like extra school-trunks and that they are both warded by blood magick. Thank you, Kreacher, for your help in this matter. I trust you to keep your silence. You may go," he said.

Kreacher bowed and then popped away.

Harry stood, then straightened his room. Though he regretted the necessity for it, he'd work on the blood wards to lock the door to his room tonight. They wouldn't need to be overly complex, a simple blood ward would do to keep Sirius, and anyone else, out. Although he was blood-keyed to the Black estate, having been made heir, his blood was entirely Potter-blood, and therefore could not be overcome by the link he shared with Sirius through the heir-naming ceremony he'd gone through at the very end of June.

*** ***

Later that night, after performing the blood-magick on his room, Harry drafted a letter to Gringotts. It was time he knew exactly where he stood, financially and with the Potter properties and anything else he had inherited.

He knew his largely-undeserved fame had probably wrought some degree of gifts, fanfare and funds, but before now it had never occurred to him to inquire about it. If the Gringotts goblins didn't know, then he'd take up the matter with a solicitor to see what he had and where it was.

Harry had avoided Sirius and Remus all day, shucking the routine he'd gotten into for the safety of his room -- made much safer now by the blood wards.

His favored routine had made him feel more like an adult than a nearly-fourteen year-old boy, but that couldn't really be helped. He'd never had much of a childhood, being made to slave away for the Dursleys, and although living with Sirius was better, Sirius often confused him with James. As such, it was clear to Harry that Sirius treated him much like he might another adult instead of a kid who needed chores, structure, rules and consequences for breaking them.

Harry rose every morning, changed into muggle work-out attire and walked down, and across, the hall to the little muggle-gym that Sirius had set up for Remus. Working out helped Remus with some of the wolf-behaviour, and Harry was grateful for it. He did a fifteen-minute run on the treadmill every morning followed by fifteen minutes of sit-ups and pull-ups, followed by fifteen minutes of yoga. Since all the exercise he'd ever really known before was running away from Dudley and his gang or manual labor or Quidditch, Harry was grateful for the chance (with well-rounded meals and an exercise regime) to get in better, healthier shape.

He wanted to be better equipped for what may lie ahead in his future -- he no longer believed that he'd have any sort of chance at a normal life. Lord Voldemort would, somehow, return and there would be a war. Harry was certain of it.

After working out, he would shower, dress, have a light breakfast and then do some reading. Sometimes he read in the Black Family Library, other times in his room. He took notes, and in some cases he'd do a bit of homework after. He'd tidy his room, then call for Kreacher to discuss anything that needed to be done or gotten that day. By this time both Sirius and Remus would typically be awake and he would join them for a cup of tea, or two, while they breakfasted.

Once he was done with that bit of socializing, Harry would take on some chore or other. Lately, he'd been in the back garden weeding, pruning, planting, watering and harvesting the garden. While it wasn't extensive, it did have several herbs and potions ingredients that Harry couldn't bear to see go to waste. What he couldn't use, they sold or gave away.

Generally, after a chore or two, Harry would sit in the second of the two parlours on the ground floor and respond to his mail. Because post-Owls couldn't reach Grimmauld Place, the House-Elf Harry hadn't yet met (who did all the cooking and cleaning) was charged with going to the post-Office in Diagon Alley every single day and bringing back all the mail and any packages for the group. Harry's mail always sat on the side-table near the purple armchair (the armchair that he preferred), if he had any. When he was finished, he'd give the sealed correspondence to Kreacher who would deliver it. Hedwig had been very unhappy about the arrangement, so he'd sent her to live with Hermione for the summer -- whom he knew would benefit from the use of his owl.

Afterwards, Harry would take lunch in either the solarium or his room, then he'd retire to his room for a bit of a nap. After the nap, he'd hunt up Remus and they'd do some course review. Sometimes the review would take place in the Duelling Chamber, which was on the first floor, other times it would be entirely book-review in the library. Then all three of them would have tea in the first parlour -- often times they were joined for tea by Professor Dumbledore or Auror Nymphadora Tonks who, as it happened, was Sirius's cousin. Twice both Tonks, as she liked to be called, and her mother, Andromeda, had joined them for tea. Harry found that he liked it best when someone else showed up for tea.

Once tea was over, Harry would head back to his room to do whatever he liked, or he'd spend time exploring the house -- it seemed as though there was always something to discover about Grimmauld Place. Early in the evening, he'd have dinner with Sirius and Remus -- which was usually a long affair, and was occasionally a meal where they were joined by one of the Weasley adults -- Arthur, Bill or Charlie -- or someone else of either Professor Dumbledore's or Sirius's acquaintance.

It was between when this meal was over and bedtime that Harry would find himself a bit bored. He couldn't go to bed too early, or he'd be awake at a dreadfully early hour, but after dinner there felt as though there were too many hours with very little, if anything, to occupy his time and energy. He missed Ron and Hermione. He lacked the company of someone his own age, and it was starting to get to him.

And so, in that fashion, his summer had begun to pass by, but...Harry could feel that a fight or argument would be coming soon. There was no way he'd get away with using blood wards for his room without Sirius noticing and wanting to 'have a talk' about it. And, Harry imagined, he'd never get away from Sirius before they began, yet again, a dreary discussion about the dangers of the Dark Arts.

 

**************************************

TBC


	2. Harry's New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry moves into Grimmauld Place with Sirius and Remus.
> 
> HEADS UP: This Harry is good at potions and interested in reading. Bit OOC there, but you'll see why it's needed. :)  
> Er...Kreacher is a lot OOC here as well.
> 
> SIDE NOTE: There's not very much dialogue in this chapter. It's a lot of exposition. Just a warning.
> 
> *A good amount of artistic license has been taken with the Black Family Home.  
> In the UK houses have a "ground floor" which in the US is often considered the first floor. So, basement, ground floor, first floor, second floor, third floor = five floor. Third-floor attic. :)

Harry yawned deeply and set his trunk and knapsack down on the newly sanded and sealed, black hardwood floor. The room had once belonged to Regulus Black - Sirius's brother.

Sirius had done a lot to remodel the house, including adding an en suite bathroom to the majority of the bedrooms, repainting all the rooms, redoing the floors, repairing or replacing crown molding, replacing cracked mantles and refurbishing the ceilings. New curtains had gone up all over the house, tapestries had been either destroyed or stored, trinkets and catch-alls had been swept for curses and either boxed up into one of the Black vaults or sold. The furniture had been cleaned and reupholstered; some of it had been replaced entirely. Finally, Bill Weasley and two other Curse-Breakers had been through the house looking for, diagnosing and dismantling curses. Harry had been told that they'd even managed to remove an increasingly annoying and hostile portrait from the front-hall wall. Sirius had laughed and said it had been a portrait of his mother, Walburga Black, but he hadn't elaborated.

The bedframe had been Regulus's and, as such, was deeply carved with runic patterns but Sirius had said he'd had them all deactivated. The mattress and bed covers were new. The duvet was a deep, dark red, the blanket a kind of russet color. When Harry pulled the covers back to see what kind of sheets, he found cream-coloured sheets and pillowcases. He remade the bed. However he'd come to love Gryffindor tower, he really wished the covers weren't red. He could only imagine the red-tinged nightmares he'd be likely to have going to sleep every night with blood red and russet covers.

Harry shrugged and looked around the room. There was a wardrobe, a set of drawers, a desk and desk chair, a large window with a padded window-seat, a bench at the foot of the bed, two bookcases, two nighttables on either side of the bed, an armchair, a floor lamp, a table-lamp on one of the night tables, a small closet, and a few candle-sconces on the walls. The walls were painted a pearly, pale green but were otherwise bare.

He set his knapsack on the desk chair and opened his trunk. He didn't really want to unpack, but he knew he needed to. There was way more stuff currently in his trunk than what he'd need to take with him to Hogwarts, when he went back to school in September. It had been a long day, filled with shopping. The kind of shopping Harry didn't care for -- clothing. Sirius hadn't liked a lot of his choices, but he had stopped arguing when Harry had mentioned that he didn't think he needed new clothes anyway.

Sirius had been determined to outfit him. Determined to see him burn Dudley's cast-offs and get into clothing that fit. So, Harry went along with it, but he picked plain colours like black, white, tan, greens and blues, with a few pops of red depending on the item. He'd refused the more high-end fashions, but had accepted a few Black family heirlooms -- two sets of cufflinks and two tie-pins. 

He'd purchased a couple of different kinds of wand-holsters -- one for his primary wand, and one for his secondary (which Professor Dumbledore had given him and had belonged to his mother, his father's wand was in pieces). Aside from that, and his new school-things, he'd let Sirius pay for everything else. Sirius had protested when Harry had wanted to pay for more, stating that as his guardian it was up to Sirius to provide for him now. Harry quite liked the idea of that.

Harry finished unpacking. Extra clothes, socks, underpants, and ties in the dresser, clothes he'd repack at the end of the summer (robes, shirts, trousers, vests, etc.) in the wardrobe. Books he no longer needed were on one of the shelves, and school books he'd need (in the order he'd do the holiday homework in) sat on his desk. He put the rest of his books on the second bookshelf, along with a few knick-knacks. He hung his scarves on the back of the door and put his toiletries in the bathroom. He had his own en suite, which was done in forest-green and cream and had a sunken bathtub, toilet, shower and a double-sink-vanity. He put his trunk (still packed with a few books, a couple of school robes, and a few other school-related items) in the small closet and his broom as well. On the shelf above his trunk he placed his cauldron and extensive potions kit.

With everything away and in order, Harry set about exploring the house. Including the basement potions lab and the third-floor attic, it had five floors. Harry's room was on the second floor, with Sirius and Remus both in suites on the first. Harry suspected that before he'd moved in they'd been sharing a room, but they hadn't as of yet confirmed his suspicions.

As he headed up to the attic to begin exploring he heard a soft pop behind him and turned around on the staircase. A House-Elf, with overly large, pointy ears, and wearing a gray suit that had seen better days, had appeared behind him.

"What are you called?" Harry asked quietly.

"Master Harry is a good boy. Master Harry is a fit wizard to take dear Master Regulus's bed chamber. Kreacher is glad to serve at Master Harry's feet," Kreacher said a bit madly before he popped away.

Harry shook his head. Sirius had told him there were two House-Elves attached to the estate and that one of them did all the cooking and cleaning while the other did hardly anything at all, but Sirius hadn't really explained how that worked -- or didn't. He wasn't sure which one he'd just met, but...whichever it was, Kreacher had certainly been a bit...odd. He took a moment to wonder if Dobby was enjoying his employ at Hogwarts before resuming his trek to the attic.

In the attic, he found trunks full of books. He frowned as he opened them. It seemed like the majority of them were Dark Arts or Pureblood History books, as well as some volumes and tomes on potions and a couple more on Ritual magick. Harry emptied two full trunks and then began culling volumes he wanted to read from all the others into the two trunks. He was very interested in Ritual Magicks, partly because he enjoyed the class at Hogwarts on it with Professor Zabini. As a Dedicant witch in the Old Religion, Harry was fascinated by ritual and rites.

When he was finished, he reorganized the remaining trunks. He tapped his wand to each one and set an alerting charm -- a charm that would alert him when the trunks were moved or opened. Since Grimmauld Place was unplottable, under the Fidelius Charm, under charms to make it muggle-repellant, and under a dark-spell that also made it repellant to magical law enforcement, it was perfectly safe (and encouraged by Sirius) for Harry to use magick while inside its walls.

Harry sat back and stared at the two trunks of books he wanted to read. He didn't want to shrink them in case that damaged the delicate books. He thought for a moment, then decided to test what Kreacher had said.

"Kreacher!" he called.

Kreacher popped into the attic moments later. "Master Harry is wanting Kreacher for something?" Kreacher asked.

Harry smiled gently without showing his teeth. "Yes. I need these two trunks taken to my bedroom, but I need the books to be well cared for on the way there. Don't shrink the trunks. Also, Kreacher, I need you to not be seen with the trunks on your way there. Can you do that?" Harry asked.

Kreacher nodded and snapped his fingers.

Harry looked around. The two trunks, and Kreacher, were gone. He smiled, then started back downstairs. It was very near supper time and he was hungry. He hoped to talk a bit more to Remus about Defense Against the Dark Arts and to Sirius about his parents over the evening meal.

************************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **While this is not an abused!Harry fiction, can we agree that the canon treatment he received from the Dursley's was neglect, emotional abuse, starvation, and they allowed Dudley to terrorize him? Things only changed a bit after Harry came back from his first year of Hogwarts. And still, Vernon and Petunia preferred to call him 'boy,' or nothing at all instead of using his name.


	3. Let's Talk About It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius talks to Harry. Remus joins in for a bit.  
> Harry gets a much needed surprise.
> 
> Oh, one thing....Harry is a Gryffindor, but....with more Slytherin views.

"Er, Harry," Sirius said as he sat down next to Harry in the only other armchair in the library.

"Yeah?" Harry asked as he marked his place in the book he'd been reading and looked up.

"I realize you're friends with that horrid, filthy, little swine, but..." Sirius trailed off as Harry held up a hand.

"As far as I'm aware, Sirius, I'm not friends with any pigs. I mean...I don't even have Hedwig here, much less a farm animal," Harry said.

"Oh," Sirius said. Then he gave a small laugh. "You know very well I mean that disgusting House-Elf of my mother's. I don't know why you picked him, or he picked you, whichever, when Camma is so much better..."

"I hate to interrupt again, Sirius, but...two small things. One, that House-Elf has a name and we both are aware that you know it, so...instead of calling him names, maybe you should try using his name? I mean, I know you don't get on, but maybe using his actual name might help? And two, I haven't met Camma. I'm aware she exists, due to lunches and dinners, but....I make my own breakfast and cups of tea are child's play to me, culinarily speaking. I grew up making all the meals, doing all the bloody chores...." Harry trailed off as he began to get angry.

He shook his head. "My point is, I've never met her. She doesn't show herself to me. Anyway, as you were saying?"

"I wasn't aware you'd never met. I'm sorry, Harry. I'll rectify that immediately," Sirius replied.

Harry shook his head again and made a 'continue' gesture with his hand.

"Oh. Yes. Well. I know you and he are friendly, or whatever, but..." Sirius said. "Honestly, he can't lock your room with House-Elf magicks. Or, and I mean, maybe you asked him to? I get that you've asked for privacy, James, but really..." 

Harry narrowed his eyes at Sirius in a glare. "This can't keep going on, Sirius. I'm not James, and yet you've repeatedly mixed me up with him. Maybe you need to see someone? A mind healer? I'm not my dad. I didn't even know my dad. I look like him, except for my mother's eyes, but...besides being in Gryffindor and having spent my first three years just getting into loads of trouble.....I couldn't be more different from him," he explained.

"Do I....do I do it a lot?" Sirius asked quietly.

"Not as such," Harry replied. "Just....enough so that it bothers me. Do you only care about me because you think I'll replace James?"

"No! Of course not! I care about you because you're my godson and because you're you, Harry," Sirius responded. He gripped his hands together. "Anyway, we've gotten off topic."

"I don't think so," Harry said. "But, fine....carry on with....whatever it was."

"Sometimes you sound so much like my brother, like Regulus. Isn't it better that I confuse you with your dad than my brother, who was a Slytherin and a slimy Death Eater?" Sirius asked. His voice was exasperated.

"Er...I suppose," Harry replied.

"Anyways, what I was saying is....I tried to come visit you this morning, but I couldn't get into the room. The door is stuck, or locked or something...and _alohomora_ wouldn't even work! You've got to talk to that bloody menace of a House-Elf and get him to remove the magicks, or....I mean...I can learn to knock!" Sirius argued.

At that moment, Remus entered the library. He glanced at Harry and Sirius on his way to the desk, and the large stack of post that awaited him, and smiled at them. "Good afternoon," he said softly.

Harry grinned at Remus, gave a little wave, then rose. "It's not locked by House-Elf magick, Sirius. And no, I don't think you could learn to knock. You have consistently invaded my privacy at least once a day every day since I've been here, no matter how often I've asked you to _knock and wait for my answer before you enter_!" he exclaimed. Harry took a few deep breaths and struggled to clear his mind of the emotions he was feeling. With his eyes closed, he imagined his cupboard and shoved the nasty feelings of anger, resentment and mistrust inside it before closing and locking the door.

He opened his eyes and looked directly into Sirius's. "I can't undo the lock on the door for another month, and I wouldn't if I could. It affords me the privacy I very much need. It isn't just you that randomly comes up to my door, taps on it, then opens it," Harry explained.

Sirius shot a confused glance at Remus.

"No, I'm not talking about Moony," Harry explained with a rather emotionless voice. "Some of your friends do so when they visit, and the Headmaster does too." He sighed. "I may have been treated much like a House-Elf at the Dursley's, but...once I was in my cupboard, and later my room, I was left alone. Locked in sometimes, yes, but...still...I had privacy. I've grown used to it, especially over the summers. You have no idea how difficult adjusting to the dormitory is for me. I have to readjust every year, and every year I still don't feel safe enough. I value being able to go into my room and know that, no matter what, it is my room and I won't be barged in on. So....since that wasn't happening, I found a way to lock my door."

"I didn't know you felt that way. Maybe if you'd explained..." Sirius said a little petulantly. "I mean, Harry....I certainly don't intend to make you feel uncomfortable or like you have no privacy. I....I'll try harder. I do think we need to spend some more time talking about the Dursleys, Harry. It's obvious that wasn't a safe environment, and that you have issues from it..."

"I've told you all I'm going to on that score, Padfoot," Harry said. He used Sirius's nickname to soften the blow, and by the look on Sirius's face it seemed to work.

"Why doesn't _alohomora_ work on it?" Remus asked softly.

Harry turned to stare at Remus. He shrugged, then sighed. "It's a blood ward," he replied.

"That's dark magick Harry!" Sirius cried.

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

"Why don't you sit down, Harry, and we'll talk about this?" Remus asked as he stood up from the desk and sat down on the sofa.

Sirius left the armchair he'd been sitting in to sit next to Remus on the sofa.

Harry huffed out a breath and took up his seat once more in the overstuffed, purple armchair. "Talk about what?" he asked.

"Contrary to popular belief," Remus said gently. "Blood wards are not Dark magick and most blood magick is also not Dark Arts, nor is it illegal." Remus shot Sirius a pointed look.

Sirius coloured slightly and nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that," he said sheepishly.

Harry nodded, but didn't say anything. He couldn't understand the attitude in the room -- the feeling as though he'd done something horribly wrong, when, in fact, he hadn't.

"I think the concern is," Remus continued, "not only how you discovered and performed the blood magick ritual for whichever type of ward you're using, Harry, but also that...blood magicks can lead down a dark path."

"Bloody well right!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I learned about blood magick rituals at Hogwarts -- like every other single student. I have a couple of books on them. Some blood magick is used during a couple of the Old Religion's rituals, though I'm nowhere near able to perform or practice those. I was only just made a Dedicant, after all. It was blood wards, you know, that had me stuck with the Dursleys and growing up without knowing who I was or where my parents came from, or how they died," Harry replied. 

"Alright," Remus responded. "We just want you to be careful, Harry. Dark magick is often times addictive, and can corrupt the soul."

"Too right!" Sirius said. "You need to stay far away from Dark Arts, Harry. You're not a bloody Slytherin, and you aren't evil. Dark Magick is evil."

Harry snorted. "As far as a darker path is concerned....well, I can't say some Dark Arts don't fascinate me, because they do. Of course they do. There are some used in potions, used in healing magicks, used in rituals. There are all kinds of Dark Arts. Not all of them are illegal -- many of them aren't. And, not all dark magick is addictive, and it's ludicrous that any sane witch or wizard would believe that the Dark Arts, as a whole subject and area of study, is addictive or inherently evil," he argued.

"It's called Dark for a reason, Harry! I'm surprised at you! Dark magick is bad, and it shouldn't be messed with. Maybe you should drop that Rituals class, or...I don't know...but we've got to have your word that you won't be messing about in any Dark Arts training!" Sirius said. His face was pale, his breathing ragged.

"I am not dropping Rites and Rituals. It's one of the most interesting classes I have. Besides which, that isn't the class that first informed me of blood magick. The one that did isn't one I'm allowed to drop, it's a mandatory class for all students. I don't understand why you're surprised. I love magick. I love the Wizarding world. I...I wish I had never been brought up in the muggle world. Of course I want to study all that magick has to offer -- that's not to say I'll go dark, or end up evil or anything. I'm not dabbling in anything that would hurt anyone, and I'm not likely to go around wanting to hurt people," Harry explained.

Sirius nodded, but his face wasn't convinced. He shook his head and rose, leaving the library without a backwards glance.

Remus sighed. "Alright, Harry. We...we'll try to understand. But....you must be careful. Dark magick can have addictive properties, and it can lead you astray from the light path without your being aware of it. While I can't agree with Sirius about the blood wards, do try to understand where he's coming from. He grew up in this house. With these people, these blood purists. This kind of thing is scary for him for many reasons. I think your desire for privacy makes sense, and I'm sorry people, especially Sirius, have been barging in on you. Next time, come to me. Talk to me about it and I'll talk to Sirius, reason with him, before you do something drastic like blood-warding your room. Okay?"

Harry gave a great, long sigh, then stood. "Okay, Moony," he responded. He grabbed the book he'd been reading and headed out. He'd read in the peace and quiet of his bedroom -- where he wouldn't be on the receiving end of a long-winded discussion about the dangers of studying the Dark Arts.

*** ***

The next day, Sirius announced that he thought Harry could do with some company. A few hours after the announcement, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom arrived to stay for the rest of the summer.

While it seemed nice of Sirius to invite Harry's closest friends to stay, or at least the friends Sirius knew about, Harry suspected an ulterior motive. Hanging out with his friends for the rest of the summer, with the time it took, put quite a damper on his extracurricular studies.

He finished the second year potions he'd been remaking with Hermione chattering over his shoulder. He finalized some adjustments on his summer homework with Ron beating Neville soundly at Wizard's chess at the kitchen table. 

Harry was grateful to have them there, to spend time with them, especially since his birthday was in just a few days. He'd never had anyone over for it, or on it, before and he looked forward to spending it with people he cared about.

Late at night, he resumed his studies of certain areas of Dark Arts and Blood Magick. He didn't tell anyone because he didn't want to stir up trouble, but also because he was absolutely certain no one, especially Ron (who tended to overreact), Hermione (who tended to judge) and Neville (who tended to panic), would understand.

************************************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, this fic has an established Theodore Nott and Harry Potter friendship that is mostly a secret from all the adults.  
> *Theodore is a Jewish Witch in my fics, otherwise known as a Mystic. Here, his father is not a Death Eater, as in canon.


	4. Summer Ends More Quickly Than You Think It Will

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of Harry's summer unfolds.
> 
>  
> 
> Like I said in my Author's Notes on the last chapter...this fic has an established Theo/Harry friendship. Theo, and his father, have quite a different backstory here.
> 
> Side Note: Harry is also established friends (known to everyone else too) with Anthony 'Tony' Goldstein, Emma Stewartson, Morag MacDougal and Padma Patil (all Ravenclaws) and Zacharias Smith, Megan Jones, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones (all Hufflepuffs).

Harry's birthday had come and gone in a shower of gifts, some he wasn't sure what to do with, and a pleasant party with a medium-sized chocolate marble cake and well wishes and cards from the majority of his friends and acquaintances. Now, he awaited going back to Hogwarts -- which was coming up quicker than he'd been ready for.

The rest of the summer had passed with late-night conversations with Hermione, games of chess with Ron and long afternoons taking care of the back garden with Neville. Whenever they could get some time with him, Remus and Sirius often sat down with him for a conversation which inevitably turned towards a lecture on the dangers of studying the Dark Arts. Harry had been tuning them out for weeks and focusing, instead, on himself (calming down, controlling his emotions, etc.) and what he wanted to accomplish in his fourth year at Hogwarts.

He had also received a detailed summary of his Gringotts holdings -- which had contained a lot more vaults than he'd expected and a few interesting ancestral surprises. Harry had spent hours pouring over the ledgers and details and figuring out how to go about responding, politely, to everyone who had ever sent him anything. He felt the need to acknowledge each gift and bequest, but he just wasn't sure how.

***

Harry laid under his bed and looked back and forth between the runic patterns and the book he held in his hands. The book, _Five Hundred Runic Patterns for Beginners_ , indicated that there were complex protection-charm runes etched into the underside of what had been Regulus's bed. It boggled Harry's mind a little -- what on earth could Regulus have been trying to protect?

"Psssst....Potter!" came a muffled voice from the other side of his room.

Since Ron, Hermione and Neville were currently at Diagon Alley, with Remus, Sirius and Molly Weasley, getting their school things, Harry had felt it was an opportune time to get a little mirror-face-time with his friend Theo. Theodore Nott was a Pureblood in the house of Slytherin, whose father was an inventor. Sought after by the Dark Lord for his many inventions, Braam Nott had sequestered his wife and child with the Mystics in an all-Jewish, all-magical city in Egypt. Unfortunately, his wife had not survived being in hiding and Mr. Nott had raised Theo by himself.

Harry slid out from under his bed, placed his book on the bench at the foot of the bed and rushed to the small, round mirror that lay open on his desk. He picked it up, bringing into view Theo's smiling face. The mirror had been a birthday present from Theo just this year.

"Oi, Nott, I've told you to call me Harry," Harry replied with a slight wink.

Theo laughed. "Right. Because that wouldn't confuse our friends and enemies," he replied. "I can't get caught by the rest of Slytherin house calling the mighty Boy-Who-Lived by his first name, and you know it."

"Just when we're alone, I've said. This counts," he argued. When Theo shook his head, Harry moved on. "How the hell have you been?"

"Good. Things are good. How has it been being under Black and Lupin's thumb nearly all summer?" Theo responded.

"Not too bad. Good, even. Got the lecture, though, about Dark Arts and Dark Magick being all bad and evil, but I didn't necessarily expect better, you know?" Harry said.

"Think they'll let you come for Christmas?" Theo asked. There was a touch of anxiety in his voice.

"Yeah, if they don't know I'm going to spend it with you and your dad. I'll work something out. Your dad's okay with you asking me and everything, right?" Harry asked.

"Sure," Theo replied. His eyes slid away from the mirror for a second. "I've got to go. Don't worry about it, Potter. My dad is pleased as punch to meet you, get to know you. You know we never threw our lot in with the Dark Lord."

"I know, I just....I guess I felt worried. Sorry," Harry replied.

Theo nodded. "Okay. Uhm. Fifth compartment, luggage compartment, say....straight up noon?"

Harry smiled. "Let's make it twelve-thirty. Are you bringing them?"

Theo blinked, then looked away again. "I really have to get on. Yes, I'll bring them. I'll meet you. Come prepared."

"I will," Harry replied. "You'll provide counsel on the situation I explained via owl-post?"

Theo nodded once, then disappeared from the mirror and the mirror went dark.

Harry carefully put the mirror back in its container and placed it at the bottom of his trunk. Instead of sliding back under the bed as he'd liked to have done, Harry finished packing for school. The trip back was tomorrow.

*** **** ****

The next day, at King's Cross Station, Sirius pulled Harry aside as soon as they'd gotten through the barrier to the platform.

"Now, remember what I said Harry....steer clear of the Dark Arts and you'll be fine. Keep your head down if any trouble comes your way and you'll have a smoother year. Making Snivellus angry and getting his goat is loads of fun and I do it all the time whenever I've cause to see the great, greasy bat but...it won't help you for passing your exams and graduating, so...just keep civil," Sirius lectured.

Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "I know you mean well, Sirius, but I swear...I don't goad Professor Snape. Besides which, he saved my life last year. Or attempted to save it at any rate," he replied coldly.

Sirius nodded and gestured towards the train. He grabbed Harry in a long hug and then said, "You'd best get on. Don't wantcha to miss the train."

Remus brushed a hand over Harry's back and smiled gently at him. "Have a good term. We'll see you at the holiday," he said.

Harry went a slight shade of pink. "Er, about that....I've been invited 'round to a friend's and I've already said I'll go. I hope you won't mind," he explained. Before they could respond, Harry pushed his cart quickly away, towards the train. 

When he got there, Ron helped him unload his trunk and owl-cage into one of the luggage compartments. Harry grabbed his knapsack and messenger bag and lifted himself into the train. 

Afterwards, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville went in search of an empty passenger compartment. They didn't find an empty one, but they did find a compartment with only two other people in it - a third-year Harry recognized from his second-year and a Gryffindor in their year.

"Hello, Sally-Anne," Hermione said to the pretty brown-haired girl sitting next to the girl sitting closest to the window.

Sally-Anne smiled and nodded. "Hermione, Potter, Weasley," she replied. At Ron's slightly annoyed look, she frowned. "We haven't been properly introduced, nor have you as of yet given me leave to use your first name. I share a dorm with Hermione, so it is not the same relationship." Sally-Anne shot a very happy grin in Neville's general direction then said, "Good day, Lord Longbottom."

Neville smiled. "You may call me Neville, if I may call you Sally-Anne."

She inclined her head in agreement. "Pleased to meet you, Neville," she said formally.

Harry grinned at Sally-Anne for a moment. Clearly she was either a Pureblood (and as a Gryffindor that was rare) or a Halfblood, or a muggle-born that was very aware of how their world worked, regardless of her upbringing. "Potter is fine," he replied since he did not know her well. "How was your summer, Perks?"

"Harry!" Hermione admonished. "It's really rude to call Sally-Anne by her last name."

"Yeah, mate, you sound like a Slytherin," Ron grumbled.

"It's actually not rude at all," Neville said quietly. "Using surnames is what's proper until you've been given permission." He bowed slightly to the other girl in the compartment. "Miss Lovegood, Sally-Anne, may we sit in your compartment with you?"

Luna looked up from where she'd been reading the Quibbler. "Of course, Neville," she replied familiarly. "I know we're going to be important to one another, so it's okay that you call me Luna and I call you Neville. Isn't that right, Sally?"

Sally-Anne grinned and patted the empty spot next to her. "Sit here, Neville," she said.

Given no other choice, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down on the bench opposite them, after storing their things in the overhead compartments. After a few moments, they all felt the train get underway.

Since he was directly across from Luna, Harry took a moment to introduce himself. "I recognize you, from around the school. I'm Harry Potter, and I am quite pleased to meet you," he said to Luna.

Luna smiled a bit eerily. "Better watch out this year, Potter. It's bound to be a bit of a difficult year for you, though you're no stranger to danger," she quipped.

"I always watch out for myself, and others, Miss Lovegood," Harry replied.

"I didn't want to bring it up over the holidays, but....what's going on with you, Harry?" Hermione wanted to know. "You're so different. So chilly and...formal. It's like you've done a complete 180` from the boy we've known for the last three years."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I did a lot of studying last year -- applied myself more to our class on Wizard/Witch Culture and to the Rites and Rituals course. I also did a lot of studying this summer. Living in the Black house has attributed me a fine education on what is proper in Wizarding society, and I intend to use what I've learned. It's ridiculous to go about behaving the same way as we would in the muggle world when we're _not in the muggle world_. The Wizarding world has its own set of rules and etiquette and I think it's a shame that so many witches and wizards are either unaware of it or just don't use it," he explained.

"Well said," Sally-Anne commented.

"Thank you, Perks," Harry replied.

"But, Harry...some of those...behaviours, and things, well....they exclude muggle-born witches and wizards. Some of them are clearly designed for only those that grow up in magical families. Certainly, you don't believe that's right!" Hermione argued. "Muggles aren't inferior and muggle-borns aren't less just because we don't know all the customs. Some of our classes at Hogwarts teach us the culture, yes, but they don't mandate that we follow it."

Harry sighed. "I grew up in the muggle world, Hermione. But...I wish I hadn't. I was deprived of my rightful, magical upbringing. And I'm sorry but....we have magic. Muggles don't. Surely that makes us..." he chose his next word carefully. "Different."

"You mean better," Ron growled. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

Harry blinked. "No, I mean exactly what I said. Nothing's the matter with me. I've just....grown up."

"Into a right bloody git, if you ask me. Spouting all this Pureblood, Slytherin-type nonsense," Ron said as he crossed his arms angrily and glared at the floor.

"I think Potter makes a lot of sense," Sally-Anne defended. "And you can't say all of it is Slytherin-related, because we're both in Gryffindor. I think it would be nice if muggleborns would be taught the society rules and the like before they come to Hogwarts so that they can adhere to it. I'm not saying muggle culture is inferior or has no value, Granger, I just think....look...would you go live in another country without learning the language? Or without at least attempting to? As an analogy, would you expect everyone to speak English just to accommodate you when their native language has been around since their people, or their country, began?"

Hermione frowned. She spent some time concentrating on the view out the window before finally saying, very quietly, "I suppose not." She shifted about and looked at Harry with a betrayed expression on her face. "Is that what you think? That muggleborns come into...into the magical world and refuse to adapt to it or refuse to learn it?"

"Absolutely not," Harry replied. "I just think it would benefit us all if everyone muggleborn or muggle-raised were made to adhere to the culture and customs. I don't want them getting lost, and honestly...I'd much rather fit in, wouldn't you?"

"I...I don't know. I've always felt it would be best if the magical world adapted to the muggle world, not the other way around. I mean...muggleborns are the minority in this case, aren't we? Why should we have to adapt to...well...all of you?" Hermione asked.

"Uh. Actually," Neville said. "Pureblood wizards and witches are the minority, Hermione."

Hermione's eyes widened. "All the books I've read, all the material I've seen, indicates that muggleborns are the minority!"

"Well, that's inaccurate," Luna added. "In fact, there are only about 30 Pureblood families. There are at least double that in Halfblood families, but with hundreds of students at Hogwarts....most of you are, I believe, muggle-raised or muggleborn."

"Or Halfbloods, really," Neville added. "It's more likely that the majority of Hogwart's students are Halfbloods, not counting our year."

At Luna's nod, Hermione relaxed slightly.

"What I'd like to know," Ron said, "is who have you been hanging out with, or what have you been doing this summer that so totally changed your mind about Pureblood society and Pureblood etiquette. You sound like a crazy Pureblood, Harry."

"I'm a Halfblood, but....I get your point. Like I said....I've done a lot of studying, a lot of reading, a lot of extracurricular assignments and....they've all led me to believe that, well...as much as I hate saying this....Malfoy is right about one thing. We are losing magical traditions and customs to the barrage of muggleborn or muggle-raised population in the magical world," Harry said softly.

"Oh great Merlin, you've lost your head. Gone mental, totally. You've just agreed with Malfoy!" Ron complained.

"Maybe you should have let the hat put you in Slytherin," Hermione said acidly.

Harry gasped. Since she was the only one he'd ever told, he felt totally betrayed. "That was told to you in confidence, Hermione," he growled.

She blinked. "I...I..."

"Oh, goodness," Luna said. "It can't be that big of a surprise. He could have been great in Slytherin, but he made the choice for Gryffindor. And our choices, as the Headmaster likes to prattle on about, are what define who we are."

Feeling startled by her words, which were nearly exactly what both the Headmaster and the hat had said to him, Harry rose. It was nearing twelve -- a good enough time as any to get out while he could. "I'm going to go find the lunch trolley and take a stroll. I want to look for Tony and Emma. I'll be back later," he explained. "Anybody want anything? I'm buying."

Ron glowered but nodded. "A couple of licorice wands - the red kind, a chocolate frog, and I could do with a cuppa. If you pay and tell her what's going where, she can just deliver it," he said.

Harry nodded and took out a slim, miniature, spiral notebook from his pocket and a small pen. He noted down what Ron wanted, then looked at Hermione. 

"A pumpkin pasty and a bottle of water," she said softly.

He wrote it down and turned to Neville. "Nev?" he asked.

"No, thank you, I'm fine. I get a little...queasy on these trips," Neville replied.

Sally-Anne and Luna whispered amongst themselves for a few seconds then Sally-Anne smiled politely at Harry. "Potter, if you're offering for the whole cabin, Luna and I would like a package of Cauldron Cakes and a package of ice mice. We will share. Thank you very much, for your generosity," she said.

Harry grinned at her for another moment before shutting the cabin door behind him and disappearing down the corridor.

***

On his way to the fifth compartment, Harry passed the lunch trolley. He talked to Maribel, the trolley-cart lady, for a moment, handed her the list, which he'd labelled with their cabin number, and the money to pay for the treats and then hurried on. 

Inside the luggage room in the fifth train compartment, Harry waited for Theo.

There was a small chime sound and a rap against the compartment door, giving Harry time to hunker down behind some trunks, before the door slid open.

"Hey, Potter, are you in here?" Theo asked to the darkened room as he closed the door behind him.

Harry slipped out from behind the trunks and grinned at Theo. "Of course, Nott. Where'd you think I'd be?" he asked.

Theo grinned and settled himself on top of a lone trunk. "Now, out with it....what's this mess you've gotten yourself into this time?" he asked.

"It isn't a mess, exactly. I just....I found out I've got all of this stuff....money and jewels and for feck's sake some fool even left me their home. All because I'm the sodding Boy Who Lived. For propriety's sake....what do I do with it all?" Harry asked.

"Alright, that is a bit of a mess," Theo replied. "But it isn't anything we can't handle. Are you sure you want my counsel and not...say...Zabini's? He's dealt a lot more with this kind of thing given his mother's propensity for...well...killing her husbands, really."

"They don't like me. They don't trust me. I'm not one of you," Harry replied softly.

"Damn well near as," Theo commented. "But, alright. I'll see what I can do, as far as finding out what you should do -- discreetly. We done with the business bit, then?"

Harry nodded.

"Okay, okay. Don't say I didn't warn you," Theo said as he brandished his wand and conjured his patronus, which, oddly enough, was a dove. He murmured to it for a few moments and then it flew through the door. "They'll be here."

Harry hunkered down to wait.

*************************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't abandoned any of my other fics, I promise I'll spend time finishing them all -- this one just...it has me, my writer's heart, for now. :)


	5. The Welcoming Feast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sorting ceremony for the new first years and the welcoming feast.  
> There's something special going on at Hogwarts this year!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> As you might have noticed, the Quidditch World Cup was not mentioned in the previous chapter. That is not to say it didn't happen, just that no one we encountered in the previous chapter went to it. That is not to say Harry doesn't know anyone who went to it, it's just that he didn't speak to anyone on the train (in which we viewed) that did.  
> *Additionally, the TriWizard Tournament will take place in this fiction, but it will be vastly different from the TriWizard Tournament in the 4th Book. Just a heads-up, warning type thing -- expect no dragons or creepy mazes.  
> **** Some artistic license has been taken with the history of the TWT.  
> *** Please don't expect nearly anything that happened during the TWT in the book or film to happen in this fiction. This, my version, TWT is extremely different than in canon.  
> ** One task will be the same as in canon -- or nearly so.

Harry trudged up to the castle with a handful of other students. He couldn't take the carriages. The Thestrals, to put it simply, freaked him out. He was aware he was one of the few students who could see them, given his past history, but that didn't make it easier to pretend they weren't there.

Luna Lovegood, Susan Bones, Neville Longbottom and Emma Stewartson walked alongside Harry. Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini were far ahead of them. As the group of students who could see the Thestrals, they had all decided to walk to the castle.

As they walked through the doors into the Great Hall, they split off into their separate groups. Emma and Luna headed to Ravenclaw and Susan headed to Hufflepuff. Harry watched for a brief moment as Theo and Blaise sat down at the Slytherin table, then he turned and continued on to the Gryffindor table with Neville.

"You should really consider taking the carriages, Harry," Hermione said gently. "It's much faster."

Harry shivered once before controlling the reaction. "It's fine, 'Mione. I enjoy the walk," he replied as he sat down next to Neville, who had sat down next to Ron.

The doors to the antechamber opened and all the students watched as Professor McGonagall led the new crop of first-years into the Great Hall and had them line up in front of the raised head-table platform.

Professor McGonagall placed the sorting hat on the sorting stool and stood back as it opened its mouth.

 _"A thousand years or more ago_  
when I was newly sewn,  
there lived four wizards of renown,  
whose names are still well known:  
bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,  
fair Ravenclaw, from glen,  
sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,  
shrewd Slytherin, from fen.  


_They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,_  
they hatched a daring plan  
to educate young sorcerers  
thus Hogwarts School began.  
Now each of these four founders  
formed their own house, for each  
did value different virtues  
in the ones they had to teach.  


_By Gryffindor, the bravest were_  
Prized far beyond the rest;  
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest  
would always be the best;  
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were  
Most worthy of admission;  
And power-hungry Slytherin  
loved those of great ambition.  


_While still alive they did divide_  
Their favorites from the throng,  
Yet how to pick the worthy ones  
When they were dead and gone? 

_'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,_  
He whipped me off his head  
The founders put some brains in me  
So I could choose instead!  
Now slip me snug about your ears,  
I've never yet been wrong,  
I'll have a look inside your mind  
And tell where you belong!"

As the hat finished its song, Professor McGonagall gave a small, tight smile and then called up the first of the first-year students.

Ackerley, Stewart was the first Ravenclaw. Baddock, Malcolm was the first Slytherin. Branstone, Eleanor was the first Hufflepuff. Finally, Creevey, Dennis (Colin's younger brother) was the first sorted into Gryffindor. The sorting went quickly after that, and it turned out to be an overwhelmingly Hufflepuff sorting for the first time in longer than anyone could remember. Harry wondered idly how classes would work for the new group of first-years since the majority of them had gone to Hufflepuff.

When the sorting was over, the Headmaster stood and greeted the hall before launching into his start-of-term notices.

After his typical start-of-term notices [no going in the Dark Forest, no magick in the corridors to or from class, no being out after curfew, please see the list on Filch's door for all banned items, etc.], the Headmaster took a deep breath and said, "There will be limited Quidditch matches this year."

The crowd broke out into shouting and belligerent behaviour in under ten seconds.

"Quiet!" Professor Dumbledore yelled. The hall went silent. "There is a very good reason for the limited games. For more details about the Quidditch Bowl, please see your Head of House. I do not feel any of you will be disappointed in the reasoning behind the limited Quidditch matches, as the whole reason for it is because...this year...at Hogwarts...we are hosting the TriWizard Tournament."

Applause and scattered whispers of both questions and excitement broke out.

"What's the TriWizard Tournament?" Harry asked Ron.

Ron grinned. "It's a series of tasks, and wizards or witches enter. It takes months -- which explains limited Quidditch. We'll all be really focused on school and the tasks, too focused to care much about Quidditch, honestly," he replied.

Hermione frowned. "I've read that it's really very dangerous. Wizards have died. Ten years ago was the first time the Ministry even let women enter as contestants. I'm very surprised the Headmaster thinks it is at all appropriate to host it," she said.

"What kind of tasks?" Harry asked.

"According to my grandmother," Neville offered, "the tasks have always been different, in each and every tournament. I imagine some rules have been put in place to better protect the contestants and the audiences."

Harry nodded and then tuned back into what the Headmaster was saying.

"There have been many, many rules put in place to ensure that anyone who is selected to be a contestant will survive the tasks. None of the tasks that have been set forth are overly dangerous. Additionally, an age-limit for contestants has been mandated by the Ministry. We will have a longer debriefing about the tournament tomorrow, after dinner, once the two other schools that are participating have arrived. In the meantime, if you have specific questions about how we're hosting it or what sorts of rules will be enforced, please see your Head of House," Professor Dumbledore said. Once he had finished, he looked around the hall again and then said, "After dinner, you are dismissed and Prefects are expected to lead the first-years to their House."

There was a roar of noise as everyone turned to dine on the delicious Welcoming Feast offerings. 

Later, after they'd all stuffed themselves silly, the plates and goblets were clean and shiny once more, and students began getting up en masse.

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville hung back as the two Gryffindor Prefects led the first-year students (all six of them) out of the Great Hall and towards the Gryffindor common room. Percy had graduated from Hogwarts last year - during the past June. Jake Flinton and Katie Bell were the current 5th year Prefects and therefore in charge of leading the first-years to the tower and explaining things to them.

"I wonder what the age-limit for the tournament is going to be?" Ron asked. "I mean...typically....the winner gets galleons and other prizes. It'd be neat to enter, better to win for sure."

"I don't think we'll be eligible," Harry commented. "I wouldn't want to enter even if we were."

"We'll find out tomorrow," Hermione said. "But, I think...well, there's no way we've learned enough to compete, much less win, Ronald."

Ron shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose you're right," he said.

"I don't really understand why you'd want to enter. It could be very dangerous, regardless of what the Headmaster says," Neville said softly.

"Glory. Funds. Prizes. Applause..." Ron replied. "C'mon, Harry. You're the Boy-Who-Lived...surely you could see yourself entering _and_ winning."

"No, really, really...no. I'd rather not. I think I have enough, more than enough, fame, thank you," Harry responded.

As they made their way up to the Gryffindor tower, Harry contemplated not only the tournament but the coming classes. He hoped he'd gotten all the ones he wanted and that he'd been able to drop Divination -- he was never taking that waste of time again.

In the dorms, Harry, Ron and Neville headed up to the boys' dorm and let themselves inside. It was a little noisy, but it usually was. This time, the noise was coming from Seamus and Dean who were playing a boisterous game of Exploding Snap.

Neville headed to his bed and trunk to unpack; Ron joined in on the Exploding Snap game; Harry turned around and went back downstairs. His invisibility cloak was in his knapsack, which he hadn't let the House-Elves take when they'd unloaded the train, and he had a meeting in an abandoned classroom to get to.

*********************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because of the film adaptations, I cannot understand how it would have taken until 5th year for Harry to be able to see the Thestrals. So, yes, he can already see them. Because as a baby -- a child of one year -- he saw his mother die. He is in the crib, in the films, staring at her dead body. So, yep, he can see the Thestrals.
> 
> ***Er, sorting hat song is taken directly from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.


	6. What We Talk About Stays Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry goes to his secret meeting.  
> Then, at breakfast the next morning, the Gryffindors get their class schedule for the term.
> 
>  
> 
> This Harry took Divination, Care of Magical Creatures and Study Ancient Runes during his Third Year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To help sort out Pureblood families, Halfbood and Muggleborn, I've gone with this list:  
> http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Pure-blood_families. I have also used artistic license to create a few other Pureblood or Halfblood families, in the interests of this story. Also, the total Luna's talking about is applied to Hogwarts, not the Wizarding world as a whole, and it's what I came up with. Some Pureblood families turned into other surnames -- for example, Harry is descended from the Peverell's and there are no Peverell's left. 
> 
> Zabini, Nott, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, Bulstrode, Greengrass, MacDougal, Brown, MacMillan, Abbott, Smith and Fawley are Purebloods in this story. (As are Weasley, Longbottom and a couple of others, but are not present at the meeting).  
> Potter, Perks, Davis and Stewartson are Halfbloods. (As are Finnigan, Moon, Patil, Corner, Goldstein, Cornfoot - but they are also not present at the meeting).
> 
> These are also just the people in Harry's year, or a year above him, not anyone in years below him.

Harry whisked off the Invisibility Cloak and stuffed it back in his knapsack just moments before he opened the door. 

The classroom was dark and, since it had never been used (to Harry's knowledge), a little dusty. Harry used several cleaning charms on the desks, including what would have been the Professor's desk, and the floor and walls. When he was finished, he arranged several desks in a semi-circle and then set up a silencing charm. Afterwards, he set up an alerting ward and then drew sigils with his wand on the walls around the room. He drew rune-patterns for both stealth and protection and then he lit the candle-sconces on the walls with a flick of his wrist. _Lumos_ was one of the only spells he could pull off wordlessly.

Finally, using a drop or two of his blood, he cast an abbreviated warding charm that would work very much like the Fidelius Charm -- to ensure that everything said in this room would stay here.

Moments passed, but eventually the door opened to reveal Theo and Blaise. He gestured for them to come in, and they did.

Blaise sat down on top of one of the desks. "Who else are we waiting for?" he asked sullenly.

Theo grinned. "A few others," he replied. He shot Harry a look. "Not all Slytherins, mind you."

Harry nodded.

"Harry? What's going on?" Lavender Brown asked as she entered the classroom just ahead of Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott.

"Yes, old boy, what on earth are we doing here and with..." Ernie looked around. "Slytherins, no less?"

Blaise snorted. "Wasn't it only Gryffindors that hold us in such disregard?" he asked.

"I suppose not," Harry said quietly. "I guess it's just the strongest rivalry among my house." He looked at Hannah and Lavender. "We're waiting for a few more people, then all will be explained."

After a few minutes of total silence, the door opened again. This time, Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Morrison MacDougal entered. 

Each of them looked around for a moment with a look of displeasure on their faces, before they sat down at one of the desks.

Sullivan Fawley, Zacharias Smith, Sally-Anne Perks, Morag MacDougal and Emma Stewartson were the next group to shuffle in and take seats.

Tracey Davis, Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, and Millicent Bulstrode were the last group to enter the classroom. After they had seated themselves, Harry cast a general notice-me-not charm on the classroom door and then shut it. He cast an overall locking charm on it, then strode around to the teacher's desk and sat on top of it.

"Thank you all for coming here. I know we're not all friends, and some of us don't get on at all. In fact, there is a hateful and bitter rivalry between quite a few of us," Harry said. He nodded briefly at Theo before continuing. "The reason I've called you here, the reason for this meeting, is that I believe that something needs to be done about preserving wizard culture, and I think you can all help with that."

There was a scattering of shocked gasps.

"You aren't meaning to say you support Pureblood bigotry, right, Harry?" Emma asked quietly.

"Of course not," Harry replied. "Here's the thing though.....what we all have in common, everyone in this room, is not necessarily blood-status, because some of us are Halfbloods, but....knowledge about wizard culture. We all have a family member, or more, who defends the culture of wizarding britain, or who has taught us about it, or who has upheld centuries worth of traditions."

"Alright, Potter, I'll agree that's true but....what has any of that got to do with you? You were raised by muggles," Pansy Parkinson said. She used 'muggles' as though it was a dirty word.

Harry nodded. "That's true. I was. And, as such, I have the distinct ability to be able to say: I wish I hadn't been. I lost out on my proper upbringing. My Aunt, Uncle and Cousin are horrible people. That's not to say all muggles are, that's just my unique experience. Even so, since second-year, I've strived to adapt to wizarding culture. Last year, I went to the Samhain celebration. This year, I've convinced Sirius and Remus to celebrate a traditional Yule. I've adjusted to a lot of the etiquette, and I finally understand the key mistakes I made during my first year. I excelled at both the Wizard Culture and Rites and Rituals courses -- I got an O on both of those exams. And I have tried, over the summer, to live a more...magical and magical world influenced life," he explained.

"James Potter was a Pureblood," Zacharias Smith commented. 

"I think most of us, those of us who are Halfbloods, have had a slightly easier time adjusting to being part of the Wizard culture, Potter, but....why are we meeting? What's the purpose?" Sally-Anne asked.

"That is an excellent question, Perks, and I, for one, hope Potter will be expansive on it and soon," Malfoy said as he glared at Harry.

"I think we need some sort of course, or club, that deals with students who have not adapted or adjusted," Harry said. "I thought most of you would be in support of that, so I reached out to...Nott, and he agreed. I think it is shameful that so many muggleborn students expect or desire that the Wizarding world adapt or change to them instead of the other way around. And, I think we need to somehow rectify the situation."

"Are you saying you want a Pureblood club or a club that prizes Pureblood values?" Morag MacDougal asked.

"No. I don't want any of this...'dirty blood,' business. More, I want a place where Purebloods and Halfbloods, who follow basic traditions and customs, will teach the muggleborns what we know. Somewhere where, for those that want to learn, we can instruct on the....the wizard society language, for lack of a better term," Harry explained.

"We have a class like that already, Potter," Sullivan Fawley said. "Witch/Wizard Culture does exactly that. What's so different about a club run by Pure or Half Bloods?"

"That is just the thing though!" Harry exclaimed. "During first-year the Culture course taught me how to correctly write with a quill, the basic fundamentals of why certain things work with potions, and the basic fundamentals of wizarding dress. We also learned, in a broad-generalization way, about the different magical holidays and what they were for. But, we weren't tasked with actually experiencing any of it for ourselves! In second year we finally learned more if you actually took Rites and Rituals -- but that's all about the Old Religion and not about society's customs or magical traditions that get passed down in Pureblood families! I mean, it wasn't until second year of our Culture class that I was made aware that Pureblood children get schooled in manners and etiquette by tutors as they are growing up. The curriculum for the Culture class helps, certainly, but it doesn't require that muggleborns actually adhere to the teachings AND every single student is able to have their parent or guardian opt-out of the class for them! You have no idea what we learned in years one, two or three, unless you were in the class -- and it's not like there are Pureblood students in there to contradict what the teacher or the textbook are saying!"

"That is quite a speech, Potter," Blaise drawled. "I understand what you're saying, but what do you expect all of us to do about it?"

"Promote our ways. Teach them. Confront people about them who don't want to understand them. The way I see it, now anyway, is....would you go to a foreign country without at least attempting to learn and adhere to the language? I don't think so. So, why is it perfectly acceptable for muggleborns to dismiss the culture they've been invited into?" Harry slammed his foot into the side of the desk. "It shouldn't be! The magical world is 100% different from the muggle world, that's the way it is and that's the way it should stay."

"I....I do think it's problematic, the way that muggleborns insist we rise up and challenge our way of life and become more like the muggle world. I think...maybe, that they don't understand....we have magic. With magic, we don't need all the things they consider essential in the muggle world," Lavender said. "But, Harry, this kind of talk makes me uncomfortable. I...well, I'm a Pureblood, but...I don't have these values. I was raised the same as a lot of Purebloods, but my family also considers the muggle world to be valuable."

"I'm not saying it isn't. I'm saying....there are many great and wonderful things about the magical world and we need to support that. We need to educate the muggleborns or muggle-raised about what is proper and what isn't....and hold them accountable for adapting and adjusting to _our_ world, instead of the other way around," Harry argued.

Several people around the room nodded.

"Look, it's just....it's frustrating. Most muggleborns learn during our Magical Theory class in first year that magic is different for Purebloods, Halfbloods and Muggleborns, but it's like....after learning that lesson, they don't take it to heart. They don't agree with it, or something, even though it's fact. And so, they rally against our world and believe that the magical world should conform to the muggle world," Harry said.

Theo stood up from where he'd been sitting. "Is that...pretty much the point of the meeting, Potter?" he asked gently.

Harry nodded, then looked around the room. "So...." He took a deep breath. "I'd like you to think about that, come up with some ideas if you agree. If you do agree, we'll meet on it again. If not, well....that's alright. If you agree, get in touch with me or Nott about it -- in vague terms. You won't be able to speak about what was said here, amongst each other or anyone else, without my permission. I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be."

There was some nodding and some just staring at Harry as he finished speaking.

"Um. Everyone but the Slytherins are excused. Nott, if you could make sure the others make it away from the classroom safely?" Harry asked.

Theo's smile was so quick only Harry noticed it as he ushered the other students out of the classroom. When it was just Harry and the Slytherin students, Theo sat alongside Harry on the teacher's desk.

"So," Theo said. "Draco, Blaise, Daphne, Millicent....this is about what Potter talked about on the train. For those of you who weren't at that meeting....Ha--Potter?"

Harry nodded. "I've spent the summer learning about the Dark Arts and learning some Dark Magick," he said softly. "Additionally to what I said here tonight, I'd like to form a Dark Arts club. I thought those in Slytherin would be more amenable to it than the other students."

"Wait, what?" Pansy spluttered. "Harry bloody Boy-Who-Lived Potter is interested in the Dark Arts?"

"Yes, hard to believe isn't it?" Malfoy said. "But, it's true. Isn't it Daphne?"

Daphne nodded. "Through proper, gentle application of some light Legilimency, it is clear that Potter is telling the truth about this," she replied. The Greengrass family was known for its affinity for Mind Magicks, and, as such, Daphne was excellent at Legilimency. Her sister, Astoria, was excellent at both Legilimency and Occlumency, while their parents had skill in other Mind Magicks.

Harry stood. "Listen, I think the Dark Arts, and Dark Magick in general, has some merit and shouldn't just be banned, or made illegal, because of fear. I'd like to study it with people who understand it and then, I'd like to duel -- using it as defense and offense -- with those who feel they can, and with those with enough knowledge to reverse whatever hits," he explained. "So, think about that as well, and let me know what you think, again, in vague terms."

"Why the sudden interest?" Morrison asked.

"It's two-fold, really," Harry said. "One, I'm a Black now -- Heir and everything. So, it seems fitting that I might learn what I can about both Wizard culture and the Dark Arts, but also...two, no matter what anyone tells you, I have it on good authority -- having fought him twice and seen what lengths his loyal followers will go to to get back to him -- that the Dark Lord will come back. He will rise again. He'll come for me when he does. And, honestly, at that point....you're either with me or with him. But, he will come back. I need everything possible in my arsenal to fight him. And I intend to win."

The meeting broke up after that. Eventually, Harry made his way back to Gryffindor Tower.

When he got inside, Ron, Neville and Hermione were waiting for him in the common room.

"Where have you been!?" Hermione asked as Harry whipped off the Invisibility Cloak.

"Around," he replied vaguely.

"This is just....this is so suspicious, Harry. First you're spouting Pureblood mania nonsense on the train, you disappeared for an hour of the train ride, apparently to talk to Goldstein and Stewartson, but...who knows, then you disappear for over two hours after the Welcoming Feast!" Ron exclaimed. His face was red with anger.

"Come on, Ron, it could be...." Neville trailed off, then looked over and grinned at Harry. "Is it a girl?"

"Oh my goodness!" Hermione exclaimed. "I hadn't even thought of that! Are you dating someone?"

Harry took a moment to collect his thoughts. He wanted to glower at them, to rage at them about all the much more important things he had to do and how none of them were dating. Instead, he took a more practical approach. "I'm only fourteen," he said softly. "I am not interested in girls."

"A boyfriend, then?" Ron asked, his eyes wide.

Harry gave a short, mirthless laugh. "Er, no," he replied.

"Then where were you?" Hermione asked as she placed her hands on her hips.

Would telling the truth be worth it? Harry looked at his friends faces. Maybe some version of the truth would be alright? "I was meeting with a group of individuals about starting a club meeting."

"What kind of club?" Hermione wanted to know.

"I can't, I literally can't, tell you about it," Harry lied. The lie came easily. He wondered, for a moment, if he should have listened to the Sorting Hat instead of arguing for Gryffindor.

"Ah. Magic. Some sort of enchantment," Neville commented. He stood. "Well, that's a good enough explanation for me. I'm headed up to bed. I suggest everyone else go to sleep too, we'll have a long day tomorrow."

Ron continued to look at Harry suspiciously for a few minutes, but then went up to bed.

"Goodnight, Harry," Hermione said on her way up to the Girls' Dorm.

Harry nodded. It already felt like it was going to be a long year.

*** *** ***

The next morning, as Harry sat down to breakfast, the Prefects handed out the class schedules.

Before glancing at his, Harry looked over at the other end of the table where a loud cry of 'Oh great Merlin!' had gone up. Since it was where the first years were sitting, Harry stared. Many of them stared, open-mouthed, at their schedules while others began to murmur indecipherably, but in a much-displeased tone.

"What's going on?" Harry asked Prefect Flinton.

Jake Flinton shook his head, then gave a little laugh. "It was such an overwhelmingly Hufflepuff sorting, that the Headmaster decided to tumble all of the first-year names together and then divide them up evenly for classes," he explained. At Harry's confused look, he continued. "What it means is....there were 34 first-years sorted, so it convinced the Headmaster that he could do something interesting this year by tossing them all together, then dividing them up. So, they don't all have the same schedules, which, normally, they do."

Harry nodded. "That makes sense," he replied. Before Harry could look at his own schedule, the mail arrived. Owls and other birds swooped into the Great Hall. A black owl landed in front of Harry. He removed the letter, gave it a bit of egg, and then it flew off.

He unrolled the letter.

_Harry,_  
_The Slytherins are interested in the activity mentioned after others had left. Need permission to speak to a few upper-years. Please advise._  
_This is wild!_  
_-Theo_

Harry gave a brief smirk then cast a quick charm on the letter. As it burned to ash, he considered how to reply.

"What was that, Harry?" Hermione asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "A letter," he replied.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. I meant, who was it from? It must have been important, because you set it on fire," Hermione responded.

"Sirius. Just some family business," Harry lied smoothly.

"Is everything alright?" she asked. Her voice was laced with concern.

"Everything's fine, there are some documents I need to review is all. Sirius wanted to ask when was a good time. I'll mirror-back tonight," Harry said.

"Mirror?" Ron asked with his mouth full.

"Oh, yes. Over the summer, I was gifted a couple of enchanted mirrors for two-way, face-to-face talking between myself and Sirius. Mostly for important Black or Potter Family business," Harry replied.

He turned away, effectively ending the conversation, and looked at his class schedule. He'd gotten everything he wanted, and the time tables seemed reasonable too.

 **Monday and Wednesdays**  
_7:00 a.m. until 8:45 a.m._ Breakfast.  
_9:00 a.m. until 9:50 a.m._ Wizarding Law and Government [Professor Blakely] (All Houses)  
_10:00 a.m. until 10:50 a.m._ Charms [Professor Filius Flitwick] (with Slytherin)  
_11:00 a.m. until 11:50 a.m._ History of Magic [Professor Binns] (with Hufflepuff)  
_12:00 p.m. until 12:45 p.m._ Lunch  
_1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m._ Herbology [Professor Sprout] (with Hufflepuff)  
_3:15 p.m. until 4:10 p.m._ Care of Magical Creatures [Professor Grubbly-Plank] (All Houses)  
_4:20 p.m. until 5:20 p.m._ Muggle Skills Course A [Taught by Professor Lewis] (with Ravenclaw)  
_5:45 p.m. until 7:00 p.m._ Dinner  
_9:30 p.m._ Curfew  
_10:00 p.m._ All Lights Out

 **Tuesdays and Thursdays**  
_7:00 a.m. until 8:45 a.m._ Breakfast.  
_9:00 a.m. until 9:50 a.m._ Muggle Skills Course B [Taught by Professor Johanneson] (with Slytherin)  
_10:00 a.m. until 10:50 a.m._ Study of Ancient Runes [Professor Bathsheda Babbling] (All Houses)  
_11:00 a.m. until 11:50 a.m._ Wandlore [Taught by Professor Ollivander - son of Wand shop owner] (All Houses)  
_12:00 p.m. until 12:45 p.m._ Lunch  
_1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m._ Defense Against the Dark Arts (Double) [Various] (with Slytherin)  
_3:15 p.m. until 4:10 p.m._ Ancient Studies [Professor Dalila Ebo] (All Houses)  
_4:20 p.m. until 5:20 p.m._ Rites and Rituals [Professor Xandorra Zabini] (All Houses)  
_5:45 p.m. until 7:00 p.m._ Dinner  
_9:30 p.m._ Curfew  
_10:00 p.m._ All Lights Out

 **Fridays**  
_7:00 a.m. until 8:45 a.m._ Breakfast.  
_9:00 a.m. until 9:50 a.m._ Wizard/Witch Culture [Taught by Lord Marbison] (All Houses)  
_10:00 a.m. until 10:50 a.m._ Muggle Skills Course C [Taught by Professor May] (with Ravenclaw)  
_11:00 a.m. until 11:50 a.m._ Arithmancy [Professor Septima Vector] (All Houses)  
_12:00 p.m. until 12:45 p.m._ Lunch  
_1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m._ Transfiguration (Double) [Professor Minerva McGonagall] (with Hufflepuff)  
_3:15 p.m. until 5:15 p.m._ Potions (Double) [Professor Severus Snape] (with Slytherin)  
_5:45 p.m. until 7:00 p.m._ Dinner  
_7:10 p.m. until 8:10 p.m._ Gryffindor Lessons [Professor McGonagall] (Gryffindors Only)  
_8:20 p.m. to 9:30 p.m._ Free time (Block B 4th Year Astronomy Students)  
- _9:30 p.m._ Castle Outdoor Curfew - (no student out-of-doors unless accompanied by a prefect or professor)  
_9:40 p.m. to 10:40 p.m._ Astronomy [Professor Aurora Sinistra] (Block B 4th Year Students)  
_11:15 p.m._ All Lights Out

Harry glanced over at Hermione's schedule. Since she had Astronomy with Professor Sinistra, during the Block A schedule, from eight-thirty until nine-thirty, Harry figured it was sorted out by last name.

There was a small slip of paper included as he'd unfolded his schedule. It read _Be dressed properly, and have your bags stowed in your room by the time dinner tonight is over. The two schools for the Tournament will arrive after dinner and I want none of you to look disheveled! ~ Professor McGonagall._ Harry chuckled.

Neville stood up from the table and smiled gently. "I've got a free period this morning," he said softly. "How about you?"

"Wizarding Law and Government," Harry replied. 

Neville nodded. "Ron?"

Ron swallowed, then nodded. "Yep. Free," he said.

Harry smiled and got up from the table. "I'm going to head up, grab my books and summer homework. Anyone coming with me?"

At Neville and Hermione's nod, Harry waited. When they left, they left together along with Sally-Anne, Parvati, Lavender and Dean. The rest of the fourth years stayed seated, eating, but Harry figured they'd head up for their books and things later.

On their way to the tower, Harry leaned over towards Sally-Anne. "So, who do you think the other two schools will be for the Tournament?" he asked.

Sally-Anne smiled. "It could be any of them, really. It's an international tournament, so it isn't restricted to Europe," she explained. "I hope that Beauxbatons will make a showing, because it's a lovely French school, but we could see contestants from any of the magical schools. The American Academy of Witchcraft, the American School of Wizardry, Mahoutokoro - which is a Wizarding school in Japan...there are a number of them, Potter."

Harry's eyes widened. "I had no idea there were so many," he said.

Sally-Anne nodded, then proceeded to list several of them from memory. "Koldovstoretz is the russian Wizard Academy, and Uagadou School of Magic is a wizarding school located in Africa. There's also the Wizarding Educational Institute of Brazil and the Durmstrang Institute in Norway or Sweden -- only those that go there are really sure where it's located. That doesn't begin to cover specialized schools like the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Euro-Glyph School of Extraordinary Languages is an international wizarding school which focuses on obscure magical languages. There are probably many more that I am not aware of, including schools for certain creatures. The library would be your best bet, if you want to know more."

Harry nodded and they lapsed into silence.

As they arrived at the Gryffindor common room, Harry went up to get his school supplies. He carefully placed what he'd need for the first half of the day in his messenger bag, and double-checked both his wands. His primary wand was in a holster at his left hip for ease-of-use, and his mother's wand was in a holster at his ankle. 

The ankle-holster was made with an extension charm so that the whole of the wand fit along his ankle, but didn't restrict movement and looked as though he carried a muggle switch-blade, or something, as opposed to a wand that was ten and a quarter inches long. His ankle was the perfect place for his mother's wand partly because hers had a fairly rare core (coral) and Harry couldn't always predict what it would do, and also because he was using it as a secondary wand.

Finally, Harry attached a slim belt around his waist, through the belt-loops on his trousers. The belt was specially made and had been a gift from Sirius. It had pouches and compartments to hold different things on it. He slipped his invisibility cloak into one of the pouches with an extension charm on it, and checked the other little compartments for the things he'd already put in them. Standard potions, a bezoar, burn ointment, healing salve, and a small, unremarkable button which was a portkey made up the contents of the items in the belt.

Satisfied he was prepared for almost any eventuality, Harry made his way to his first class.

****************************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you wondered, First Year Classes During Harry's Fourth Year: [Please click to Chapter 1 if you need/want to see who is in which house.]  
> Rachael Codnor, Alison Denshaw, Fergus Cowley, Graham Pritchard, Bowen Duffield, Gordon Pummell, Irene Denholm, Emmaline Dobbs, Felicity Eastchurch, Lina Tande, and Dora Williams will have classes together.
> 
> Dennis Creevey, Jimmy Peakes, Diane Carter, Scarlett Lympsham, Hortense Cooper, Daisy Corran, Owen Cauldwell, Matthew Kettletoft, Holden Ledbury, Anthony Otterburn, and Nigel Wroxton will have classes together.
> 
> Natalie McDonald, Malcolm Baddock, Stewart Ackerley, Eleanor Branstone, Trisha Buttermere, Poppy Caxton, Nigel Wolpert, Mafalda Prewett, Orla Quirke, Kenny Markham, Xander Lofthouse, and Kevin Whitby will have classes together.
> 
>  
> 
> ***Yes, yes, I've made up what the core of Lily Potter's wand was. Regardless of Ollivander.  
> **** All Houses - on the schedule - means all Houses of students who are taking the course in Harry's year (Year 4)


	7. The TriWizard Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other schools arrive.  
> The rules of the TWT are explained.  
> Harry and Theo talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep In Mind:  
> This TWT will be nothing like the books. It won't be canon. There will be only 1 task that happened in the books/films that happens in this story. As such, even the setup and rules for the TWT have been altered/changed.

It had been a very, very long day. And it wasn't over yet. 

Messenger bag stowed on his bed in the Boys' Dormitory, Harry walked down to the entrance hall with the rest of his house. He was wearing his standard dress robes, which perfectly matched his green eyes and had slim, tailored sleeves. Underneath, he wore dark-brown trousers, his specialized belt, a forest-green button-down shirt with the Potter Crest cufflinks, a brown tie with the Black Crest tie-pin, and a bronze-coloured vest. He also had on his brown dragon-hide boots, his wild-snitch socks (which he'd received from Dobby as a Christmas present last year), and both wands inside their holsters.

The rest of the crowd was similarly dressed insofar as standard dress robes were concerned. Hermione looked lovely in the fitted, dark-blue robes she wore. Ron's dad had won the weekly drawing at the ministry, so both he and Ginny had new robes as well -- Ron's were standard black, and Ginny wore very pale blue.

Harry craned his neck to get a look at Theo and some of the other Slytherins, but he couldn't see them.

The entire student body, as well as several teachers, spilled out onto the front lawn to await the arrival of whichever two schools were participating.

Out on the black lake, a commotion called the attention of the students and teachers. A great, dark, many-masted ship rose from the depths of the lake. The ship ascended quickly to the edge of the very rocky Hogwarts beach and more than a dozen students left the ship for the shore.

"The proud sons and daughters of the Durmstrang Institute and their High Master Igor Karkaroff!" Headmaster Dumbledore cried.

Suddenly, the Hogwarts group looked towards the left side of the castle where a whirlwind of wind had hit the ground much like a tornado. When it dissipated, the Hogwarts students looked on in shock. Two adults and a dozen students stood where the wind had been.

"The elementally gifted students of Weatherly School of Magick and their teachers, Mage Aileen Shade and Mage Vincent Aubrey!" Headmaster Dumbledore exclaimed.

"Now that everyone has arrived," the Headmaster continued, "let us all head inside for the Reading of the Rules."

As the various groups of students, professors and teachers complied, Harry hung back. He didn't want to be caught in the throng of people cascading into the Great Hall.

"Pssst, Potter!" Theo said as he came up behind Harry.

Harry turned. "Nott," he greeted.

"Bit of an odd thing, that, yeah?" Theo asked.

"Which thing?" Harry replied.

"Students from an American school taking part in the TriWizard Tournament, of course," Theo responded.

"Well, it's not restricted to Europe, so I'm actually pretty happy with the turnout. Might make for a really interesting year. I'm pretty sure United States curriculum is really different from ours, right?" Harry said.

Theo nodded. "Yes. I'm not even sure how they perform magick. And, I'm certain they don't have any idea what a Pureblood wizard is." He gave a disgusted look.

"As far as your letter is concerned," Harry said, changing the subject. "I give my permission for you to discuss the idea of a Dark Arts club with the upper-years, specifically in Slytherin or Ravenclaw."

"Thanks," Theo replied. "I think it'll be a better learning experience if we have some age-diversity. I'm not certain I can get even the couple of Ravenclaws I know to listen to the pitch though, Potter."

"That's alright," Harry said. "Just do what you can." With that, Harry walked away and went to join his friends for the Reading of the Rules.

*** ***

"The first rule," Headmaster Dumbledore began, "is that no one under the age of sixteen can enter their name to be a contestant in the first trial. The first trial weeds out anyone who does not have the skill to move on towards the tasks. Is that clear? There are three trials. After the trials, the Tournament will be left with 3 Champions -- one from each school. Those Champions will compete in all three tasks and, after the final task, a winner will be crowned."

There was some confused murmuring in the hall. 

"There are prizes at each step of the journey, culminating in the Champion's prizes for the final task. That prize is by far the most sought after -- it is the TriWizard Cup, three-thousand galleons and your name will also go down in the Wizard Book of Records. Additionally, the winning champion will give an interview with both the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler," Headmaster Dumbledore explained. "Tonight, the Goblet of Fire will be set up in the Duelling Room on the second floor, but it will not be activated until after the three trials. The goblet chooses the three champions from the pool of students that pass the trials. The sign-up sheet for the trials is also located in the Duelling Room on the second floor, and will be monitored by a Professor, Head Boy or Girl, or Prefect at all times. Let me remind you...signing up to be a contestant in the trials constitutes a binding magical contract. Once you have submitted your name, you cannot take it back and you cannot change your mind. The magicks inherent in the contract will compel you to compete - with dangerous and potentially fatal consequences if you somehow overcome the compulsion and do not compete. After the trials, the group of students that passed will be given a chance to put their names in the Goblet -- it is at this point, and this point only, that a trial contestant can drop out."

The crowd was hushed as the students waited for whatever Professor Dumbledore might say next.

"Once the Goblet of Fire has picked its three champions -- one from each school -- that also constitutes a binding magical contract that cannot be backed out of. Once you have given your name and school on a slip of paper and put it into the Goblet, your fate is in its hands. The only way to get out of the contract with the Goblet is to lose your magic or die. Let me be clear, going against a contract between you and the Goblet of Fire would either mean the loss of your magick or the loss of your life -- so think very, very carefully before putting your name in it, but also think carefully before signing up for the trials," the Headmaster cautioned.

"Finally, you will have the remainder of this week to sign up for the trials. The first trial is set for the Monday after this one. If you have any questions about the trials or the Tournament itself, I suggest you speak to your Head of House, or to your school's masters or professors. This is a serious competition and should not be entered into lightly," he finished.

There was a scattering of applause, and then the Headmaster dismissed the student body from the hall. The students from the two other schools were led up to the fourth floor, where rooms had been set aside for them.

Harry headed back to his dorm quickly. He had homework to do and some extracurricular reading as well.

*** *** ***

The next morning, the Quidditch Bowl rules were explained and no one, save the professors, was very happy about them. Slytherin would play Ravenclaw, and then Gryffindor would play Hufflepuff. Whichever two teams were left would play each other for the Quidditch Cup. Harry had a feeling that the cup game would, once again, be Gryffindor against Slytherin -- but, honestly, he hoped not. He was absolutely sick of the house rivalries.

During Muggle Studies, with Professor Johanneson, they were introduced to Basic Algebra, which Harry knew would eventually help him in Arithmancy so he took it quite seriously. Additionally they were told that their year-end project would be about establishing a government -- in a group, forming a fictional society. It was a limited class because a lot of the Slytherin students had been removed from the Muggle Skills courses, after their first year, by their parents. Even so, Harry was in a group with Hermione Granger, Sally-Anne Perks, Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy. 

He'd definitely been assigned the better group, Harry thought as he looked at the list. Lavender Brown, Ron Weasley, Parvati Patil and Tracey Davis were in the second group; meanwhile, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Pike Moon and Vincent Crabbe comprised the third, and final, group for the end-of-year project.

During Study of Ancient Runes with Professor Babbling, the students were finally able to move on from basic rune memorization (including four different runic alphabets) and basic rune and rune magick theory to learning about different Runic Patterns -- how to create them and how to break them down, and their variations. They spent the majority of the lesson practicing drawing runes and breaking them -- led by the instruction of Professor Babbling.

Before lunch, Harry joined several of his classmates -- and a few upper-years who were taking the course for the first time -- in Wandlore with Professor Gage Ollivander. Since it was one of the classes Harry had looked forward to the most this year, he took copious notes and paid special attention to the lecture. The class was about much more than simply learning wandlore. Indeed, by the end of the year Professor Ollivander expected them all to be able to pick out ingredients towards making their first wand -- though they would not be involved in the crafting process at this stage.

When lunch rolled around, Harry was incredibly grateful for the break. It had been a long morning and he was hungry. Instead of heading to the Great Hall, however, he turned into an alcove, disappeared underneath the invisibility cloak and made his way directly to the kitchens. He had a short lunch-meeting to get to.

***************************

TBC


	8. A Plot and an Honest Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's name shows up on the scrolls for the first trials.  
> Short chapter -- just to get us going again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We pick up a few days or a week after the last chapter...which might seem odd for consistency, since it's been months (or something) since I wrote on this fiction. But, I'm back now. Though we should all be glad I didn't just start a new fic -- an 8th year that's been rolling around in my brain. Oh, wait....did I start a new one? Lol.
> 
> Professor Ruby Rhine, Professor Alexander Mars, Professor Ned Humfrey = Defense Against the Dark Arts professors.  
> Rhine = years 1-3; Mars = years 4 & 5; Humfrey = years 6 & 7.
> 
> Er...Alastor Moody's history has been altered slightly. And no, he's not Crouch.

Professor McGonagall opened the door of the seated classroom for Care of Magical Creatures and poked her head in.

"Professor Grubbly-Plank, I need to remove Mr. Potter from class for the rest of the period. I hope that's acceptable."

Professor Grubbly-Plank nodded her head and Professor McGonagall looked over at Harry. "Mr. Potter, come with me," she said.

Harry frowned, shook his head, but got his things together anyway and followed Professor McGonagall out of the classroom and to the Headmaster's office. He knew he wouldn't be missing much anyway, todays lesson was the written/lecture before the practical animal lesson on Wednesday. He could simply read the chapter in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ without missing too much from the lecture.

In the Headmaster's office, Harry was asked to sit down and wait. Professor McGonagall stood behind him while Professor Mars sat next to him in the other chair. A bit nervous, Harry began to fiddle. He stopped immediately when Headmaster Dumbledore entered the room with a man Harry hadn't seen before.

"Harry, this is Alastor Moody. He's with the Auror's office, here to ensure security while the TriWizard Tournament progresses," Headmaster Dumbledore said.

"Mr. Potter, it has come to our attention," Mr. Moody said gruffly, "that your name has showed up on the scroll for the first trial."

Harry felt his eyes widen in surprise, but he couldn't say he was overly shocked. Something, or someone, every year found a way to make his life miserable and put his life in jeopardy.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, lad?" Mr. Moody asked.

"Come now, Auror Moody, surely you don't think that Harry Potter put his own name on the scroll?" Professor Mars said in his soft, whispery voice.

"That is exactly what I think," came Moody's reply.

Harry stood. "I didn't put my name on the scroll. I don't want to be part of the tournament. I have enough to do, enough courses on my plate, and activities going on. I don't need to add dying to that," he argued.

"Harry, did you put your name on the scroll?" Headmaster Dumbledore asked as he looked at Harry.

Harry shoved unwanted memories and emotions inside the cupboard-under-the-stairs in his mind before meeting the Headmaster's gaze."No. Absolutely not," he responded.

Headmaster Dumbledore sighed. "Did you ask another student to do it for you?"

Harry let out a frustrated breath. "No, I did not, sir," he said.

"Well, that settles it then. Harry didn't do it," the Headmaster replied. "Unfortunately, Harry...you'll have to participate in the first trial. It's a written exam, and if you do not pass, you'll be fine -- you won't need to participate any further."

Harry nodded, because he understood, but he wasn't happy. His friends wouldn't be very likely to believe his innocence, nor would the rest of the castle and he had delicate things resting on his trustworthiness right now. "I understand. When's the test, sir?" he asked.

Professor McGonagall snorted. "In ten minutes, Potter," she said.

Harry sighed. "Alright, then. Where do I go?"

"Minerva will accompany you to the Duelling Chamber, where the test is being held. When you're finished, you'll get your score and told whether or not you'll continue on to the next stage. If you do pass, which we do not expect, you'll go on to the practical in two days time," Headmaster Dumbledore explained.

Harry rolled his shoulders and turned to face Professor McGonagall. "Let's get on with it then," he said quietly.

***

Since taking the test had meant missing the rest of Care of Magical Creatures and all of Muggle Skills Course A, Harry met up with his friends in the Great Hall for dinner.

The Great Hall had seen a few changes since the start of the tournament -- namely, a lot of round toubles where the long rectangular ones had been. Harry joined a table of his friends -- Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Fred and George -- and put small servings of chicken pie, roasted potatoes and steamed green beans on his plate. 

As he tucked in, Hermione leaned across the table a little to talk to him.

"Fred and George have started an odd rumour, Harry," she said.

"Bah. Couldn't possibly be true," Ron said through a full mouth. "You'da told your best mates if you'd gotten on the scrolls, yeah?"

Harry finished chewing and swallowing before he replied. "Someone added my name to the scroll. I did not add it. I don't want to participate. If I have any luck, I'll have failed the trial one exam and that will be that. It'll be over."

"Such a clever boy, our Harry!" George exclaimed.

"Getting his name on the scrolls for the tournament!" Fred added. "We were so pleased.."

"To see you when you sat down to take the test!" George finished.

Harry rolled his eyes. As he wagged his fork at Fred and George he said, "I did not put my name down."

"Of course you didn't, Harry," Luna said softly. "This is some plot or other. The work of belly-crested beetees, probably."

"What?" Neville said. "What are belly-crested beets?"

"Beetees," Luna corrected. "They are a lot like fairies and trolls. They make things happen. Usually dastardly things. They're very dangerous, if a bit misunderstood."

By this time, Ron had put his fork down and his face had turned red. "What do you mean your name is on the scrolls? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked angrily.

Just about finished with his food and in no mood to get into a fight in the Great Hall, Harry pushed back from the table and stood. "I didn't put my name down. I don't want...how did you phrase it, Ron? Oh, yeah. 'Glory, funds, prizes and applause.' Well, I don't want those things and I don't know who put my name down. Hopefully I'll fail the bloody written, and this will all just be one more Hogwarts year nightmare. In the past." As Harry stormed away, he could hear them continuing to argue about whether he'd put his name on the scrolls or not.

***

"That was some storm-out, Potter," Theodore Nott said as he stepped out of a darkened corner of the corridor that led to the Gryffindor dormitory.

"How...what? How did you get here so fast?" Harry asked.

Theo laughed. "Secret passageways," he explained. "Listen...if you want this club to actually get formed, and for it to go off without a hitch...you really need to work on not getting involved in these power trips and dangerous plots. As much as I hate sounding like some Hufflepuff, we have to be able to trust you if we're all going into this together."

"Nott, I didn't put my name on the bloody scrolls. I don't want this kind of attention. I never did. Now, if that's all...if all you came to say was some sort of lecture and disapproval...I get enough of that elsewhere and I've got a bloody ton of homework to do," Harry replied.

"Tomorrow night. Astronomy tower. Straight-up Midnight. First meeting of the Ancient Studies club," Theodore explained. "When you get there, we'll decide where to meet and how often to meet and a general plan for what we'll study. Don't be late."

Harry watched Theo walk away and wondered, for a moment, if they'd ever get to be real, true, out-in-the-open friends. He hoped so. He sighed and headed to Gryffindor tower. He did have an astonishing amount of homework to do.

*********

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry's 4th Year School Books (* book title is made up by me/ ** author made up by me/***title and author made up by me)  
> (! = a new purchase for this year)
> 
> The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 4) by Miranda Goshawk  
> A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot  
> Intermediate Transfiguration by Emeric Switch!  
> One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore  
> Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger  
> Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander  
> The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble  
> The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger  
> Potion Opuscule by Arsenius Jigger  
> Goshawk's Guide to Herbology by Miranda Goshawk!  
> Charms of Defence and Deterrence by Professor Catullus Spangle!  
> Extreme Incantations by Professor Violeta Stitch!
> 
> Discovering Our Stars: A Guide to Astronomy by Peregrine Eleazar***  
> Wizarding Culture (Volume One) by Garrett Winters***  
> Wand Lore and Wand Law (Volume 1) by Fadeus Von Heleen!***  
> The Rules of a Wizard Society by Hans and Elsa Grinleuff***  
> Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms by Professor Bea Durham**  
> Rune Dictionary by Lauren Zoo and Merge Publications**  
> Spellman's Syllabary by Arthur Spellman**  
> Neophyte, A Rite of Passage, by Summer Abegnee***  
> Dedicant by Thuri Calafia  
> Numerology and Grammatica by M. Carneiro and L. Wakefield!  
> Ancient Spellcraft by Neith Ammon!***
> 
> On Writing and Literature (Volume One) by Bronte Spiers***  
> A Study in Mathematics (Volume One) by Herbert Knell***  
> The Geographical World by Sidney Marie Bennett***  
> Muggle Politics by Anthony Steadwell***  
> Hypothesis: An Introduction to Muggle Science by Carmichael Wellers***  
> The Pop Culture Phenomenon by Nandi Berry***  
> A View Through: Thoughts on Art by Marcus Cause***
> 
> Other Books Harry Uses:  
> A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions by Francis Polis**  
> The Dark Arts Outsmarted by Camilla Haversham**  
> Guide to Advanced Occlumency by Maxwell Barnett  
> Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts Volumes 1-5 [Various Authors]  
> Self-Defensive Spellwork by Collin Peel and Edward Loom**  
> Magick Moste Evile by Godelot  
> Secrets of the Darkest Art by Owle Bullock  
> Transformation Through the Ages by Alyson Switch**  
> Asiatic Anti-Venoms by Kellan Antwhile**  
> A Collection of Above Three Hundred Receipts in Cookery, Physick, and Surgery [Various Authors]  
> Moste Potente Potions by Phineas Bourne  
> Hogwarts, A History by Bathilda Bagshot  
> Manual M39h-z by The Ministry of Magic  
> Alchemy, Ancient Art and Science by Argo Pyrites  
> New Theory of Numerology by Lukas Karuzos


	9. The Consequences of Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry realizes there's only one place the club can meet.  
> He goes to the first meeting of the "Ancient Studies" club -- where they lay down rules, etc.  
> Ron and Hermione confront Harry about his Slytherin activities.

Late that night, under the cover of a silencing spell, a disillusionment charm and his invisibility cloak, Harry made his way down to the Chamber of Secrets.

He'd realized that there was really only one safe place for the Ancient Studies -- aka Dark Arts -- club to meet. There was one place in the school that only he could access. One place that could be warded against creatures, other students, and spelled for dark arts duel.

Once he was inside the chamber, there was a lot of work to do. He'd been down there before, once last year, to harvest all the ingredients from the Basilisk (some of which he'd given to Professor Snape as a way to seal the deal about his potions makeups). During that time, he had cleaned the chamber and discovered a hidden room -- which he'd, to himself anyway, started calling Slytherin's office.

Harry began with cleaning and vanishing spells, before working on the protection, warding and cushioning spells. It took him hours, and left him exhausted, to complete the chamber.

When he was finished, he reset the charm on the sink in the bathroom to open to a latin word, instead of Parseltongue, that way the group members could get to the chamber door. He'd left the chamber door spelled as it was -- to respond to Parseltongue -- in order to control who could and could not get into a club meeting. He'd also come up with a way to keep the club secret, and he hoped the club members would agree to it.

Tired, filthy and hurting from all the cleaning, Harry made his way back to Gryffindor tower and indulged in a long shower before turning in for what was left of the night.

***

Harry sat down next to Neville the next morning at breakfast. Ron and Hermione sat across from him. He felt bad about excluding them from this part of his life, and even worse that they felt mistrustful and suspicious of him, but he didn't know what to do about it. He couldn't very well come out and tell them the truth, now could he?

Yes, Ron, Hermione, I'm starting a Dark Arts study and duel club with a whole ton of Slytherins and anyone else who will listen.

Yeah, he didn't think that'd go over very well. Hermione was still cross with him over his viewpoint that coming into the wizarding world for muggle-born, or muggle-raised, students should be like going to a different country where you needed to learn the language. She thought, and wrongly so, that he had some sort of chip on his shoulder about muggles, or that there was something wrong with being muggle-born. 

He didn't think that, he just knew that it _was_ different; he honestly felt the Statute of Secrecy should be lifted for magically gifted kids in muggle families at the age of, like, six as opposed to eleven. There should be some kind of additional education for muggle-born or muggle-raised students, something that allowed them to become part of the wizarding world. Something that tried to get them to adhere to at least some wizarding customs. It might be an odd point of view, and difficult for his friends to accept, but he knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he'd have been much happier having known who he was, and having known what to do with he was eleven and meeting witches and wizards for the first time.

Harry mulled it over as he ate his breakfast in silence, then left for classes. He had Muggle Skills Course B, Study of Ancient Runes and Wandlore before lunch. He really looked forward to all three classes, because they were interesting and the professors for them were by no means boring.

***

At lunch, he ate quickly and tried to get as much homework and studying done during the forty-five minute lunch period. On his way to Defense Against the Dark Arts, Hermione cornered him in the hallway.

"I know you're going through something right now, Harry, but I don't think it's a good idea to ignore your friends and withdraw this way," Hermione said.

"I'm not withdrawing," Harry replied.

"Oh no? You haven't spoken to anyone all day! You're avoiding me and Ron, and even Neville said you didn't speak to him at breakfast or at lunch," she admonished.

"I have other friends," Harry said. He realized, too late, telling her that was a mistake.

"Really? Like who?" Hermione asked.

Harry made a face, and caught himself just before he rolled his eyes. "Like Tony, Emma, Morag, Padma, Zach, and Hannah. Among others. There are other people I see, and talk to, 'Mione. I promise, I'm not withdrawn and...I'm not going through something. I've just changed, is all. I've grownup. I can't be the same boy I used to be, not if I want to survive," he explained.

"There's nothing after you right now, Harry. You're not trying to survive, right now!" Hermione argued.

Now, Harry did roll his eyes. "Someone put my name on the trial scrolls. This isn't to be taken lightly. It's a threat. I'm not imagining it."

"Whether or not someone else put your name on the scrolls, doesn't mean someone's after you. You said it yourself -- you'll just fail the trials and be done with it," she said.

Harry's eyes widened. "You don't believe me."

Hermione shrugged. "It's just...it's a lot to take on faith, what with everything you've been saying and how you've been acting," she supplied.

Harry felt the anger rise up, but refused to allow it in. With his voice as cold as he could manage, he said, "I have class. We both have defense right now. I don't have time for this conversation. You don't believe me. I think that says all there is to say." He turned on his heel and left.

Hermione stared after him, gently chewing on her bottom lip. She didn't know what to think or what to believe. Harry seemed so convinced that someone was after him. She worried for him, but she also couldn't help but be discouraged by his change in attitude. She shuffled her feet, picked her bookbag up from where she'd dropped it on the floor, and headed off to class.

***

After Defense, Harry went on to Ancient Studies -- where they learned about Egyptian Hieroglyphic magick -- and Rites and Rituals before dinner. Instead of attending dinner in the Great Hall, he went down to the Hogwarts kitchens.

He wasn't alone in his thinking, however, because he found both Nott and Lovegood sitting across the counter from each other, silently enjoying their meals.

"Sir Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby cried in greeting. "What can Dobby be getting sir for dinner?"

Harry grinned. "Dobby, it's good to see you," he said. "How are you liking your Hogwarts employ?"

Dobby grinned hugely. "Dobby is very happy at Hogwarts! Dobby gets two days off a month and two galleons a week!"

"Well, that's good. You could get a little more, if you wanted. The Headmaster won't mind," Harry added.

"Oh no, sir! Dobby was offered ten galleons a week and turned it down, sir! The Headmaster is a great wizard!" Dobby exclaimed.

"Yes, he is a great wizard," Harry replied. "Chicken, mash, gravy, green beans, in small portions, please, Dobby."

Dobby rushed to serve, and quickly placed a plate of food in front of the only remaining barstool. "Sit, sir Harry Potter sir! Dobby has made a plate for you!"

Harry sat and pulled the plate of food towards himself. As he dug in, he looked up at his dinner companions.

"You are seriously friends with a House-Elf, Potter?" Theodore asked, not unkindly.

"Of course he is," Luna defended. 

Harry laughed. "I didn't know you two knew each other."

"Our families go way back," Theodore said. "I wasn't aware that you knew Luna, Potter."

"Why do you call him Potter, Theo? You're friends, good friends too, and -" Luna was cut off by a quick glare from Theodore.

"He won't call me by my first name. Doesn't want to get caught in front of the other Slytherins," Harry said.

"Well, it's alright now," Luna said. "You can call me Luna, and both Theo and I will call you Harry." Finished with her dinner, Luna pushed back from the table. It was only then that Harry realized she wasn't wearing shoes.

"What happened to your shoes?" he asked her.

Luna smiled a little eerily and waved her hand in a dismissive fashion. "Ever since first year, some of the other Ravenclaws steal them. I always get them back, eventually." Her eyes drifted away for a few moments before she looked back at him. "I'm going up to the Great Hall for pudding. You two really should talk. You have a lot to say, you like each other. It's okay, Harry," she added when Harry made a slightly strangled noise.

"We're going to be great friends, you and I," Luna said dreamily. "It's perfectly alright that you'd rather snog Theo than me. I'm meant for someone else. But, we'll be great friends." With that, Luna left the kitchens.

Harry shook his head.

Theo coughed.

"It's hard to believe she's a year younger, rather than years older, is it not?" Theo asked.

Harry nodded.

"You may, as Luna had said, call me Theo, Pot-...Harry."

"Er, thanks," Harry replied. He looked up into Theo's face and instead of seeing coldness, or disgust, he saw...kindness.

They spent the rest of dinner in silence.

***

At Midnight, in the Astronomy tower, Harry was greeted by many more students than he had expected.

The usual suspects (Theo, Malfoy, Zabini, Morrison MacDougal, Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass and Millicent Bulstrode) were joined by Luna Lovegood, Sally-Anne Perks, Michael Corner, Mandy Brocklehurst, Morag MacDougal, Zacharias Smith, Hannah Abbott, and some students he'd never met.

Dropping his voice to a whisper, Theo said, "That other club? It's not on. No one wants to do it, or take that much responsibility. However, the...Ancient Studies club has a lot of interest, over various houses and ages."

Harry nodded. "Do they know that Ancient Studies is code for Dark Arts?" he said very quietly.

Theo nodded, then gestured to the group of students Harry didn't know. "Let me introduce, from various houses, fifth years: Cormac McLaggen, Mervyn Wynch, Uchi Akimbo, Sullivan Fawley, Ivan Renshaw, Marcus Belby, and Alannis Sheppley. Sixth years: Cyril Meakin, Alex Sykes, Jonathan Spratt, and Felix Brunt. Seventh years: Astoria Greengrass, Regina Wilkins, Isabella Tintwistle, Nicholas Grimmett and Madeline Estrees," he said.

"Wow," Harry breathed. "I'm pleased to meet you all, and to see those of you I already know."

"Let's get on with this, Potter," Pansy Parkinson said. "We all know why we're here, let's hear how we're going to pull this off."

Harry dug into his bag and pulled out a wide, rolled piece of parchment that was bound with four different ribbons - one red, one green, one blue, one yellow. "This," he said, "is a Secrecy Scroll. You will all sign it, and then I'll tell you the details you'll need to know."

There were grumbles and murmurs and sharp words of protest, but, eventually, the entire group signed.

"Alright. We won't meet here again. The club will never meet at the same time, but we will meet at the same place. Over the next week, I'll devise a way to reach you about club meetings. For now, the first real meeting will take place Friday, at midnight. We will be studying the Dark Arts, and duelling with them. What we talk about in these meetings, and the bonds we make, will be kept secret. If friendships form, you will have to have a cover story. The most important rule is to not talk about this club, or write about this club, with people who are not members. We must act in the utmost secrecy. In order to do that, I have secured a location for us," Harry explained.

"Where, Potter?" Malfoy said. "Where in this castle will be away enough from prying eyes and ears that we won't all see expulsion?"

Harry gave a brief laugh, then said, "The Chamber of Secrets."

There were gasps, but then students began to nod.

Harry smiled cooly. "Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. The only sink that does not work. The faucet turns but there is no water. The password is _tenebris_. When it opens, you slide down. Then walk through the corridor to a large, circular door. I will meet you all there, and we'll begin." He looked around the space at the students. "We should go. Don't get caught sneaking back into your dorms."

As students began filing out, some casting disillusionment charms on themselves, Harry turned to Theo.

"Do you think this will work? Is it worth it?" he asked.

Theo smiled, then nodded. "Of course it is, Harry," he said softly.

***

Harry made his way back, slowly and carefully, to the common room.

Ron and Hermione were waiting for him upon his return.

"You really aren't our Harry anymore, are you?" Ron asked.

Harry flinched. "You don't believe me about the trials, what do you care?"

Ron crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the floor.

"You've been sneaking around the castle at all hours of the night, and...and...meeting with Slytherins!" Hermione accused.

Harry recoiled. "You've been following me?" he asked outraged.

"You don't deny it!" Ron bellowed.

"Shhh, Ronald!" Hermione said. "If we wake the whole house we'll get into loads of trouble and never get any answers!"

But, it was too late.

"Oi, what are you lot doing up this late?" Terry Strickland, a 7th year Prefect, asked as he came out of his room - which was right off the Common Room.

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, then lied. "Having a bit of a homework debate. Astronomy assignment, sorry."

Terry yawned, then rubbed his eyes. "I don't want to take points off my own house, but this is ridiculous. Granger, I'm surprised at you. Breaking the rules like this. Thirty points from Gryffindor. It's way, way after curfew, lads, get to bed, and I don't want to see you out here this late again, unless you've accidentally fallen asleep or something. Next time, I'll get McGonagall," he said.

As Harry and Ron shuffled off to the 4th Year Boys Dorm, and Hermione headed off to the 4th Year Girls Dorm, she grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him aside.

"We're not done. Something's going on, and you know me, I'm going to find out!" she said angrily.

Harry gave her an angry look, pulled his arm away from her grasp, and went into his dorm. He knew that, eventually, she would find out. And he absolutely dreaded that event.

*************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure if Prefects can take points and/or assign detention so......I've given them that ability. :)


	10. Least Expected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trial Two.  
> Neville talks to Harry.  
> Neville/George, Ginny/Blaise = implied-ish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairings have changed. Sometimes, when writing, that happens. The characters go where they want, I'm just here to record it.

On Wednesday, Harry was pulled out of Charms to attend the Practical Exam otherwise known as Trial Two for the TriWizard Tournament. It seemed that he had somehow passed Trial One -- the written examination.

He was told, before entering the dueling chamber on the second floor, that his scores for both Trial One and Trial Two would be displayed, along with everyone else's, on the dueling chamber bulletin board and that he had gotten an 82 -- a passing score was no lower than a 78 (out of 100).

Harry grumbled to himself as he prepared to duel one of the wizards or witches that the ministry had set up to test the remaining applicants on their magical knowledge. He wondered, briefly, what Trial Three was going to be if they'd already done both written and practical examinations, but then he forgot about it because, all too soon, it was his turn to duel.

He was the last contestant for the dueling game, because it went by seniority and he was the youngest contestant. Everyone who had passed the practical, including both Fred and George, were lined up along the stage to watch -- having participated in their duels already. He was told, as he assumed bowing stance, that the duel was scored and it was not about winning it. There were seventy-five points, and out of that seventy-five, sixty points (and no lower) was a passing score. Harry would not know his score until the very end of the meeting, when it was posted along with everyone else's. If he passed, he'd go on to the Third, and final, Trial.

If he was surprised that the person he was dueling was no older than seventeen or eighteen, he didn't show it. He knew, from hearing other people talk about it, that everyone had dueled someone in their age group or right above their age group. These duelers were either in the employ of the Ministry of Magic or they were volunteers. The starting bell went off, and Harry bowed to the young-adult girl, before stepping forward and getting out a wandless and non-verbal Stupefy.

*** 

Harry sighed. The duel was over, and the scores were posted. He hadn't meant to pass both trials, he really hadn't, but...he couldn't make himself seem less smart or less studied, either. He'd spent the summer working on non-verbal magick and the dark arts. He was a better dueler than at any time in his life previously, and since he needed those skills to survive an actual war, to survive daily life in some cases, he hadn't pulled any punches (so to speak).

He stared at his scores.

 **Harry Potter**  
Trial One - _82/100_ _pass_  
Trial Two - _70/75_ _pass_  
Trial Three - _00/50_ _awaiting_

Harry scrubbed his hands over his face. There was no way either Ron or Hermione were going to forgive him for getting into the TriWizard Tournament if he also passed the next trial. It wasn't that he wanted to compete, it was just...his survival skills had kicked in and he wasn't going down without a fight. He sighed.

When he was called into the Headmaster's office, he knew he was in trouble.

***

His stomach grumbled. He'd missed lunch because of the duel and the talk, or rather the scolding by the Headmaster. He leaned over the table in Herbology to gently pet the leaves of the _Furrous Ickicampous_ , the only really dangerous plant they'd deal with this year. It was used largely in medicinal potions, oddly enough, even though without being stewed and properly cared for it could kill the person tending to it.

When cared for and stewed properly, and then added correctly to the correct potion, it had amazing powers of instantly curing any type of fever. When he and Neville, his Herbology partner, were done tending to the dangerous plant, they left the greenhouse as they'd been instructed and waited outside on a bench nearby. It was well before three, when the class ended, so Harry figured he'd have time to grab a snack from the kitchens before heading down to Care of Magical Creatures.

Professor Sprout came over to their bench and smiled gently at Neville. "Well done, Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Potter," she said cheerfully. "You have gotten the _Furrous_ to trust you! Well done, boys! You may leave and have a bit of a break before your next class. Oh, and, Mr. Potter, congratulations on passing the second trial!" With that, she hurried off, back into Greenhouse Four to watch over the other students.

Harry shuffled his feet, and began heading back to the castle. Neville followed him silently.

In the Hogwarts kitchens, Harry had Dobby get him a plate of cheese and fruit and a goblet of milk. As he tucked in, Neville sat down across from him.

"I'm glad you passed the first two trials, Harry," Neville said finally.

Harry raised an eyebrow, nodded and then continued eating.

"I don't know what they were thinking, whoever put your name in, but I'd rather you passed than failed. I think you could be a true Hogwarts champion," Neville added.

Harry snorted. "Right. Well. I don't. I'd much rather that title go to Fred or George."

Neville nodded. "I understand that, Harry, but...I think you're a little more prepared than they are." He kept his eyes on the counter as he spoke. "I think...you've got more to fight for, and more...innate talent than anyone else, including Fred and George. Though you should know, I hold George in very high esteem."

Harry wondered what Neville meant, but didn't ask. "Listen, we've got to get to class, so...if there's something...?" he trailed off.

"Yeah. Um." Neville looked up, into Harry's eyes. "I'd like to join your new club," he said.

Harry blinked. "My new...?"

"Yes, Harry. I know about it." Neville dropped his voice to a whisper. "Dark arts."

Harry pushed back from the table. "Neville, I can explain, really," he said as he got up and walked around to face Neville.

"I'm not asking you to explain," Neville said. "George and I have talked about it. Did you know that Zabini approached Ginny about it? She hasn't told anyone else, and turned down the offer, even though she was interested. She's a Weasley. And a third year. She can't really get caught studying....that. But, she told George, who told me, and....we sort of assumed maybe you had something to do with it. Listen, Harry, I'm not judging. I want in."

"Friday. Midnight," Harry replied. "Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. You're there for the Ancient Studies club. That's what we're calling it."

At Neville's nod, Harry turned and walked away. As he headed to Care of Magical Creatures, Neville followed him.

*** *** ***

By Friday, Harry was feeling nervous and stressed. The next day Trial Three would begin, and apparently it had an audience. According to Professor Snape, whose unfortunate job it had been to inform Harry about the next trial, the Third Trial was a group activity in front of the whole of the school and both other schools that were competing.

Tonight, of course, was the first meeting of the "Ancient Studies" club and Harry couldn't help but be nervous about it. It was, first and foremost, frowned upon and he was pretty certain having an unauthorized club was against the school rules, and hanging out in the Chamber of Secrets might actually be cause for expulsion -- if having a Dark Arts club wasn't already.

It was a packed Friday, what with Wizard/Witch Culture, Muggle Skills Course C and Arithmancy (where he skillfully avoided Hermione for the entire class period) before lunch. After lunch, the Gryffindors had double Transfiguration with Hufflepuff and then double Potions with Slytherin. For the first time in four years, potions went smoothly for Harry. For fourth year, their first two months of potions was concentrated on Healing Potions -- or potions one would use in the infirmary, or in hospital, or during injury, etc. Both his Blood-Replenishing Potion and his Bruise Paste turned out exactly as they were supposed too -- to Harry's chagrin and Hermione's frustration. 

Harry watched as her Blood-Replenishing Potion went from blood-red as it was supposed to be, to a deep, dark brown, and couldn't help his very quick, very small, smile. 

"You're supposed to take it off the heat before you add the blood synthesizer -- whichever one you chose," Harry commented.

Hermione huffed, rolled her eyes, and then vanished her potion. It was no good, now. As she took the zero for the day, she vowed to redo it in her spare time and see if Professor Snape would let her make it up.

"If you have brewed your potions correctly, please bring it up to me," Professor Snape said. "If you have brewed incorrectly, I expect a 2-foot essay on the properties of the Blood-Replenishing Potion, its uses, the recipe and brewing instructions and at least one paragraph on what you did wrong and if there was a foreseeable way to fix it."

"Additionally, if you have put together the Bruise Paste correctly, please use a wooden applicator to bring me a sample. After which, you may keep the Bruise Paste for yourself," Professor Snape added. 

As the group of students gathered up their things and rushed to do as Professor Snape had said, he leaned against his desk and glared at the group of hurrying students.

"Once you have completed these simple tasks," Professor Snape said, "class is dismissed and you are welcome to get out. Do remember that next Friday we will be brewing Pepperup Potion and Burn-healing paste, in tandem. Do come prepared."

*** ***

Because Harry needed someone he could trust to be his second-in-command for the club, and he couldn't choose Theo much to his disappointment, he brought Neville with him down to the Chamber of Secrets while the rest of the castle was at dinner.

Harry keyed Neville's magical signature into the Chamber door, that way there would be an additional person who could let the club members inside, and then they went inside. He showed Neville around, and pointed out the various areas of the very large Chamber and what they were for.

The snake statues were gone, as were the deep wells that had filled up with water in his second year. Harry had filled the wells in with stone and a potion not unlike grout. Now, it was just a long corridor that opened up into an even larger room, with the drain-pipe entrances on the right hand side and the huge, marble face of Salazar Slytherin at the front. He'd sealed a lot of the holes along the walls, and filled in what had once been pools of water.

"Over there," Harry said as he pointed to the entrance to the drain pipes, "will be a kind of obstacle course, once we've all learned the basics."

Neville looked frightened for a moment, but then he nodded. "Makes sense," he commented.

"Up there," Harry said as he pointed to the open-mouth staircase that led to Slytherin's office, "is where studying will occur. It has book shelves full of Dark Arts books, and I've checked them all to make sure none of them can cause lasting damage to the reader. I've also laid in a supply of ink, quills and parchment."

Neville nodded again.

Harry pointed to a door set in the stone on the left side of the large room. "That door leads to the bathroom. I had no idea it had one, but it makes sense. Salazar Slytherin spent much of his time here." He pointed out a low crevice in one of the walls. "That is the way out of the Chamber. It's heavily protected by magick. Ancient magick. It's a tunnel, tall enough to stand up in, and comes out near the greenhouses, oddly enough."

"So, we'll have to be disillusioned or...something, in order to get back inside the castle," Neville replied.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I've studied up on the disillusionment charm, so...that should be easy enough. Plus, the sixth and seventh years should know other ways to accomplish getting back, once they're through the tunnel. But, yeah. We'll all have to apply a silencing charm to ourselves too. We don't want to be caught out after curfew."

"It sounds...complicated," Neville said.

"It is, Nev. But...it's worth it." 

Harry pulled several potions bottles and a tiny, shrunken table out of his pocket. He walked to the farthest wall in the chamber and unshrunk the table. He put the little bottles, and a two jars, on the table and then cast a permanent sticking charm on the table legs. "There," he said when he was finished. "That's bruise paste, Blood-Replenishing Potion, a couple of bezoars, Burn-healing paste, boil-cure, the Deflating Draught, the Oblivious Unction, the Memory Restoration Potion, some Murtlap Essence and Skele-Gro, plus some bandages and antiseptic ointment."

"Where did you get all of that?" Neville asked.

"I bought most of it, made some of it," Harry explained. "We might need it. We won't be able to believably go up to the infirmary, you know."

"You seem....alarmingly prepared for this, Harry. Like...almost like you're prepared for war. Is it....do you believe it'll get that bad?" Neville asked.

"Yes," Harry replied without hesitation. "The Dark Lord will find his way back to life. I'm certain of it. And I'd like to be prepared for that, whatever the cost."

***

He skipped Gryffindor Lessons, which to him was a pointless class since it had no homework, no requirements and no mandatory attendance. Not to mention the fact that after the first two classes, they'd devolved into one hour of Professor McGonagall telling war stories, stories about her time as a student and stories about great, historical, Gryffindor wizards. Absolutely pointless, to Harry's mind. 

It was a good thing he'd brought Neville with him, because it had also given him the opportunity to show Neville how to leave the Chamber. Leaving was much different than arriving.

Harry led Neville through the tunnel, after casting the Disillusionment charm on the both of them. It wasn't curfew yet, but Harry really didn't want anyone seeing where they came out. In a knoll near Greenhouse Six, Harry opened a door with the use of Parseltongue.

He shut the door and moved behind the greenhouse to remove the spell from both him and Neville. 

"I'll see you at Astronomy, yeah?" Harry asked.

Neville nodded. "I'm going to meet up with George, see if he's absolutely certain he doesn't want in on this, and then, yes, I'll see you for Astronomy. Be careful, Harry."

Harry nodded and headed down towards the lake. He was meeting Theo in ten minutes and didn't want to be late.

 

******************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The members of the "Ancient Studies" club:  
> Harry Potter  
> Theo Nott  
> Draco Malfoy  
> Blaise Zabini  
> Morrison MacDougal  
> Pansy Parkinson  
> Daphne Greengrass  
> Millicent Bulstrode  
> Luna Lovegood  
> Sally-Anne Perks  
> Michael Corner  
> Mandy Brocklehurst  
> Morag MacDougal  
> Zacharias Smith  
> Hannah Abbott  
> Neville Longbottom  
> Cormac McLaggen  
> Mervyn Wynch  
> Uchi Akimbo  
> Sullivan Fawley  
> Ivan Renshaw  
> Marcus Belby  
> Alannis Sheppley  
> Cyril Meakin  
> Alex Sykes  
> Jonathan Spratt  
> Felix Brunt  
> Astoria Greengrass  
> Regina Wilkins  
> Isabella Tintwistle  
> Nicholas Grimmett  
> Madeline Estrees


	11. The Goblet of Fire and Veritaserum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's name comes out of the Goblet of Fire.  
> Really, really short chapter.
> 
> **throwing out canon as far as Veritaserum is concerned. Here, it is a reliable source -- because only extremely powerful or extremely skilled (in Occlumency) witches and wizards can resist it. Occlumency is a rare gift/skill in the Wizarding world -- not everyone can master it -- so the potion is considered reliable.  
> However, the "victim states what only they believe to be true, so the victim's sanity and perception of reality also factors in during interrogations." (HP Wikia)  
> Taking its antidote before it being administered renders it useless.  
> Taking its antidote after it being administered cures the drinker of truth-telling.

_Jesus. God. Bloody buggering hell. Zeus. Hades. Athena. Ra. Toth. Any Gods who were listening?_ Harry grumbled to himself as he walked slowly to the Champions Chamber.

 _What on Merlin's earth was he going to do?_

Diving into the frigid Black Lake changed by Gillyweed and armed with his wand (and a plethora of dark spells Dumbledore wouldn't approve of) to rescue Luna Lovegood from the merpeople was one thing. Battling who knows what through three tasks with competitors who knew far more magick than he did? Meanwhile, he had to keep up with his studies, his classes, his correspondence courses and the Dark Arts club. There weren't enough hours in the day.

 _There was no way anyone in the whole of the castle was going to believe that he hadn't put his name in the bloody Goblet_. Harry's eyes met Professor Snape's as he walked by.

 _Except, perhaps, Snape,_ Harry thought grudgingly. Professor Snape wasn't looking at him angrily nor did his expression convey disgust -- as it usually did. _Interesting_ , Harry thought and then he filed that bit of news away for later.

***

Later, Harry sat in front of the Headmaster in the Headmaster's Office and resisted the urge to look into Professor Dumbledore's eyes. He knew, from personal experience, that Dumbledore had no qualms about reading his student's minds and Harry wasn't going to give him the opportunity.

"It's not that we don't believe you, Harry, my boy, it's just that we need....assurances. You'll take Veritaserum, won't you?" Albus asked kindly.

Harry nodded. "Only on the condition that you, and you alone Headmaster, are in charge of asking the questions," he said.

Albus nodded. "Well, then, Severus, administer it please."

High Master Igor Karkaroff, Mage Aileen Shade, Mage Vincent Aubrey, Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore looked on as Professor Snape put three drops of Veritaserum on Harry's tongue and Harry swallowed.

Immediately, Harry felt a warm fuzziness in his brain and a liquid pool of something sugary in his stomach. Then, after a few moments, he began to feel weightless and dizzy.

"Is your name Harry Potter?" Albus asked gently.

"Ye--er, no," Harry replied dully.

"What is your name?" Albus asked.

"Harry James Potter," Harry responded.

"Are you a fourth year student at Hogwarts?" Albus asked.

"Yes," came Harry's reply.

"Good, good. Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" Albus asked.

"No," Harry replied.

"Did you go against our express wishes and put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" Albus asked again.

"No," Harry replied.

"Did you get another student to put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" Albus asked.

"No," Harry responded.

"Did you get a professor or teacher to put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" Albus asked.

"No," came Harry's reply.

"Did you get anyone else to put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" Albus asked.

When Harry replied, "No," Albus clapped his hands together.

"Well, I think that settles it, don't you?" Albus asked the room.

"I suppose so," Igor Karkaroff said gruffly.

"There is one more question I might pose," Severus Snape replied.

"And what is that, Severus?" Albus asked.

"Whether or not Mr. Potter is aware of anyone else putting his name into the Goblet. Whether or not he asked them to, he might be aware of it, Headmaster," Severus said.

"Very well," Albus replied and then he looked at Harry. "Are you aware of anyone else putting your name in the Goblet, Harry?"

Harry shook his head slowly. "No, I am not," he said softly.

Albus nodded. "Alright, administer the antidote, please Severus," he said.

Professor Snape leaned forward with a teaspoon of the antidote and fed it to Harry.

Harry took it gratefully and was pleased when his sense of balance, hearing and vision returned to normal.

"You may feel very dizzy for quite a few hours yet, Mr. Potter. Additionally, though the antidote is administered, you may feel an urge to tell the truth for up to three more hours. You should be able to resist this, but you may feel the urge," Professor Snape cautioned.

"Well, I think that clears that all up rather nicely," Mage Shade said.

"What is that potion? What did you call it?" Mage Aubrey asked.

"Veritaserum," Severus said slowly.

"You don't have it in America, then?" Headmaster Dumbledore asked.

"Some sort of truth-seeking infusion," Mage Shade replied. "But, no."

"And even if we did," Mage Aubrey said, "We wouldn't be likely to use it on a student."

Albus nodded. "Harry, you're dismissed. I'll speak to the Minister about this and see if there's any way for you to get out of it. I'll contact you in a couple of days."

It was Harry's turn to nod as he struggled to his feet and fled the Headmaster's office. He had damage control to do, and not a lot of time to do it in.

 

******************************

TBC


	12. The Ancient Studies Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last meeting of the "Ancient Studies" club before the Yule Holidays.  
> We pick this story back up in December.  
> Short chapter, to get us started again.

**19 December**

There had been some fallout, but luckily Harry had been able to keep many of the students interested and active in the "Ancient Studies" Club. The Yule Holidays were starting the day after tomorrow and this was the last meeting of the club before the next term. The first task was scheduled for February second and Harry would find out when he got back from the holiday what he needed to do to prepare for it.

The biggest fallout, for Harry, was his relationships with his friends in Gryffindor. The majority of the Lions seemed convinced that Harry had put his name down for the trials and had managed to hoodwink the Goblet into accepting his name for the tasks. Only Neville, Fred, George, Sally-Anne and Ginny were on his side. Even Gryffindor students who he'd never met were against him.

And although he stood alongside Viktor Krum, Adelaide McGee and Cedric Diggory as one of the Champions, they didn't trust him. Cedric Diggory was nice to him, and seemed to be giving him the benefit of the doubt, but they still weren't...friendly. Between him and Viktor there was a language barrier as well as distrust, and Adelaide treated him as though he was a child. Harry put up with it all and kept his head down - it wouldn't do to get noticed too much anyway, not while he was running an illegal club in the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry dragged himself out of his thoughts and turned his attention to the students gathered before him.

"Since late September," Harry began. "We've had about eight meetings. This one is the final meeting before we all break for Yule, and as such, there's something exciting, though dangerous to teach you."

The students were gathered around Harry in a semi-circle. They all had discarded their student robes and clothing for protective pads, some light, flexible armor, dueling robes and plain, ordinary clothing. 

"The spell you will learn today is classified as Dark Magic, or Dark Arts, for three reasons. The first is that it was largely used on the Battlefield and in war situations, the second is that it can be used on another person against their will, and lastly...it can aid a witch or wizard in time-travel. This spell is a transportation spell. It is similar to apparition, in that it requires focus and a goal of where you want to land, but unlike apparition it is not monitored by the Ministry, because it is considered to be Dark Magic," Harry explained.

Felix Brunt raised his hand. Harry nodded in his direction. "Why are we learning it then, Harry?" he asked.

Harry smiled. "There are three ways to get around the Decree For Underage Wizardry. One way is by your natural, wild, accidental magic. Accidental magic is monitored by the Ministry by a series of instruments and enchantments, but they only monitor large amounts of wild, accidental magic. Smaller amounts are easy to get away with - unless, of course, you have extenuating circumstances or some reason the Ministry may be monitoring you more closely. For example, the Ministry monitored the house I grew up in, for whatever reason. The second way to get around the Decree is to use wandless magic. This doesn't have to be nonverbal, it just has to be utilized without your wand. For the majority of witches or wizards, it is a spell on your wand, provided that you purchased your wand in Britain, that reports back to the Ministry. The third way of getting around the Decree is to live in a home that is well-warded, unplottable, and also under the Fidelius charm."

Harry strolled back and forth in front of the students for a moment. "This spell is a transportation spell. When used correctly, it can transport a witch or wizard from one location to another, be it in centimeters or kilometers or what have you. Used incorrectly, or even used with this in-mind, it can transport a witch or wizard through time and space. Used to its maximum effort, it can transport you to any country you desire to go to, provided you have an image in your head of an _actual location in that country_. This spell was outlawed years ago and can be quite dangerous. While splinching yourself is not a risk, getting caught in the astral plane is a risk, and getting trapped in a different time is also another risk. The Salire spell - or jump spell - is done with wandless magic, and in order to harness it you first need to know how to do wandless magic," he said.

"Can this spell be used to get around Hogwarts?" Draco Malfoy asked.

"I am going to turn this lesson over to the Parkinson sisters, Malfoy, in order to answer any of those questions and actually teach you the spell, the magic behind it and how it works. Considering the fact that the Parkinson Family has an affinity for Transportation Magicks, they are the best to teach it today. They have both been using this spell since they were very young. I want to say one additional thing before I turn the lesson over. If you don't want to learn this spell, please don't. You can go into the study room and utilize the materials in there, you can take on the obstacle course, or you and a partner can move to the dueling platform. Please don't risk yourself if you don't want to. And, if you are already sixteen or seventeen and have your Apparition license, then you don't necessarily need this spell." With that, Harry moved to the back of the room.

"Draco...to answer your question," Pansy said in her soft, gravelly voice. "There are really specific limitations on using this spell to travel around Hogwarts. You can leave Hogwarts with this spell, from certain areas of the castle, but you cannot come back -- the wards are just too powerful."

Draco nodded.

"Wands away, please," Eve called out to the group. "If you do not wish to learn this, please move on to another area of the Chamber, as our esteemed leader has already said."

Luna, Sally-Anne, Mandy, Hannah, Neville, Mervyn, Felix, Astoria and Regina moved away from the group. Luna and Sally-Anne went together to the obstacle course. Mandy, Hannah and Neville went up to the study room to work. Felix, Mervyn and Regina went up to the dueling platform. Harry watched them for a few moments before turning back to the lesson.

"The spell for this, the incantation, is _salirous_ and since it is wandless, it has no wand movement. You need a clear picture of where you want to go, in your mind, and you also need a clear focus on the present time," Pansy explained.

"Before practicing it, however," Eve said. "We're going to get a lesson on how to call, maintain and use wandless magic. Astoria?"

Astoria Greengrass, Daphne's older sister and a seventh year, headed to the front of the room. "Wandless magic," she said carefully. "Is innate. It is with you all of the time, but it has to be accessed and trained."

"So..." Theo whispered as he stood beside Harry. "Are your guardians going to let you come with me for the holidays?"

Harry gave a quiet laugh. "They pretty much said it was up to me, where I spend my holidays. Remus was pleased that I'd been invited to a friends', but Sirius seems...sad that I won't be with them for our first Yule together. Remus told me to ignore him, because he's got something special planned for the two of them anyway. So, yes. Is there anything I should bring?"

"Just yourself. My dad's really looking forward to meeting you," Theo replied before returning his attention to the lesson.

Harry felt light and happy for the rest of the meeting.

When the meeting was over, no one but the Parkinsons' had successfully performed the spell, but the group seemed genuinely happy about learning something new and everyone felt it had been a productive club meeting.

"I'll have the new meeting schedule drawn up by the time we get back," Harry said before he dismissed everyone.

*****

Under a silencing charm, a notice-me-not spell and his Invisibility cloak, Harry made his way back to his dormitory. Both Neville and Sally-Anne followed closely behind him.

It was nearly two a.m. in the morning, and Harry was very, very glad he didn't have classes later. It was Saturday now, and Harry was grateful for the chance to have a bit of a lie-in before getting back up to have breakfast and do homework. 

Once at his bed, he cancelled the charms and put his Invisibility cloak back in the pouch on his belt. As quietly as he could, he folded away his dueling clothes and got into his pajamas.

"Where have you two been?" Ron asked as the tip of his wand flared in wand-light.

"Working on our Herbology Project, Ronald," Neville said quietly. "Didn't mean to disturb you, go back to sleep."

"It's not due for weeks yet!" Ron argued.

"Ours is a night-blooming species, Ronald," Neville explained. "It's a full-moon tonight, so it was best to attend to it now rather than later."

"Alright," Ron said before he flopped back down on his bed and the light went out.

In the light of the full-moon, Harry rolled his eyes and then nodded and mouthed a 'thank you' at Neville. Neville nodded, gave a grin and then slipped into bed.

************************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new roster for the Ancient Studies Club:  
> Harry Potter  
> Theo Nott  
> Draco Malfoy  
> Blaise Zabini  
> Morrison MacDougal  
> Pansy Parkinson  
> Eve Parkinson  
> Daphne Greengrass  
> Millicent Bulstrode  
> Luna Lovegood  
> Sally-Anne Perks  
> Michael Corner  
> Mandy Brocklehurst  
> Morag MacDougal  
> Zacharias Smith  
> Hannah Abbott  
> Neville Longbottom  
> Cormac McLaggen  
> Mervyn Wynch  
> Felix Brunt  
> Astoria Greengrass  
> Regina Wilkins


	13. The Villiage of Eerkettahn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry travels to Eerkettahn with Theo (where Theo lives when he's not at Hogwarts).
> 
> Note: I am Jewish. If you don't like the way I spell Chanukah, please don't tell me and don't make a fuss. That is the way I was taught, by my Rabbi, and that is the way I have always spelled it. I even sometimes spell it with two n's.
> 
> Note: The all-magickal city of Eerkettahn is completely made up by me. It is a safe-haven for Jewish witches/wizards/mystics who are of Middle Eastern descent. This story will NOT discuss or make commentary on the Middle East in terms of war/conflict or Palestine vs. Israel, etc. Although I have views on that subject, it will not encroach this fiction. Please respect that.

Harry sat with Blaise Zabini, Ginny, Neville, George and Luna on the train to Kings Cross Station.

Theo had left for the Holidays on Saturday morning, because Chanukah had started Friday at sundown, but Theo had wanted to stay for the last meeting of the club (before the holidays). Harry would be meeting him at a coffee shop down the street from the train station, and together they'd go on to Theo's home from there.

"Potter, what is your stance on taking over the Potter Lordship upon your fifteenth birthday?" Blaise Zabini asked as he crossed one leg over the other and sat back against the cushioned seat.

Harry blinked owlishly for a moment and then nodded. "I'll be taking it, if that's what you're asking, Zabini."

Blaise nodded. "And you, Longbottom?"

Neville gave a easy smile. "Yes, I'll be Lord Longbottom by end of July," he replied.

"I thought your grandmother was Lady Longbottom, Neville?" Ginny asked.

"She is, but...she keeps the ladyship due to her mother's family, not my father's. She is, officially, Lady Longbottom of the Ancient and Noble House of Breakwell, in lieu Lady to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom." Neville gave a slightly sheepish smile. "Most people just forget that and call her Lady Longbottom. Once I turn fifteen, she'll have to start correcting people."

"It's similar to what you'll be, Gin," Luna said softly. "Lady Zabini to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Zabini, of the Ancient House of Weasley; whereas, since my parents only had me and I am the last remaining Lovegood, I'll be Lady Lovegood of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Lovegood."

Since the news of Ginny's betrothal to Blaise was well known amongst the occupants of the cabin, no one reacted in any way other than to nod.

"Right. I'll be suddenly a part of the nobility, through Blaise, but I'll still be me...of the Ancient House of Weasley. And if we have children, our first-born will become Lord or Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Zabini, when, Merlin forbid, Blaise dies...or if he passes on the title when they turn fifteen," Ginny said.

"Is Nott meeting you at the station?" George asked Harry.

"I would assume not," Blaise commented. "He cannot really be seen as being friends with Harry Potter in front of the other Slytherins."

"Yeah, Zabini's right," Harry replied. "I'm meeting him elsewhere. You know...you, Neville, Luna, Ginny and Zabini are the only ones who know we're close friends anyway."

"Hard not to notice," Blaise said.

Neville nodded. "Really, you behave like chums at..." he trailed off. "At the meetings."

"George and I are thinking of joining, if you...if you have room, and think it won't be...discovered," Ginny said.

Harry grinned over a Ginny for a moment and then nodded. "There's room. Talk to me about it when we're back at Hogwarts? Neville can bring you both in."

****

With his knapsack on one shoulder and his small traveling case shrunk in his pocket, Harry made his way to the coffee shop that Theo had specified.

Inside the small, crowded shop, he looked around for Theo. 

Theo looked up from the table he occupied, folded the newspaper he'd been reading and stood. He gave Harry one, very short wave and then nodded.

"Well, Potter," Theo said kindly. "Did you want to get a drink and hang around for a bit, or did you want to just get gone?"

Harry gave a little laugh. "I think I'd rather get gone, if that's alright."

Theo nodded. "Follow me."

Harry followed him into the bathroom, where Theo checked all three stalls before he turned to face Harry.

Theo held out what looked like a round, muggle alarm clock. The face of the clock had descriptions written in a tiny, cramped type-face rather than numbers.

"These clocks are my father's invention. He took the general idea from the family clocks created by Betina Bettenhold in the sixteen hundreds. Instead of keeping track of family members, however, this clock is a travel device. The hands determine when you will be traveling, and the descriptions that the hour-hand points to determines where you will go. The minute hand stays stationary in these clocks, because it anchors the travel-spell or enchantment. The second hand starts ticking when the destination has been set, and it controls a secondary aspect of the spell," Theo explained and then he grabbed Harry's wrist.

"This is most-similar to a Portkey, Potter, but is not regulated by the British Ministry of Magic because, well, there are only a handful of these clocks and they are all owned by families where I live. Now, the key to this is to breathe through it. And do not shrug out of my hold on your wrist," Theo added.

Harry nodded. His wrist felt tingly where Theo was touching it, but he ignored it as best as he could as they were whisked away.

To the average muggle, it would have looked like a sudden windstorm had cropped up in the middle of the empty bathroom.

****

They landed on a small cobblestone street in between various-sized stone and brick buildings. Theo let go of Harry's wrist and dropped the clock into his pocket.

Theo led Harry out of the alleyway and into the village. It looked, to Harry, like a much older, more cramped version of Diagon Alley.

"There are three rules about the village of Eerkettahn that you need to know. First, it is located somewhere in Egypt and, as such, is outside of the purview of the Ministry of magic. Its laws are different. As of age fourteen, witches and wizards are allowed to openly use magic. You are allowed to use magic while you are within the city limits. Secondly, the entire town shuts down at sunset on Friday and does not reopen until Monday morning. This is to observe and celebrate Shabbat. We also shut down on certain holidays. Lastly, it is not an overly progressive city and there are protocols you will need to follow while you are here - proper ways to behave, etiquette, that sort of thing."

"Bowing, proper address, that sort of thing?" Harry asked.

"Yes, among other things. Do you see the ladies coming up the road, there?" Theo asked as he discreetly pointed to the road ahead of them.

Harry nodded.

"Right. They are without an adult witch, wizard or mystic escort or companion, and I do not know them. They are neither friends nor acquaintances of the Nott or Apeli houses," Theo explained. "And so, as is proper, you and I will cross to the other side of the street now. If I did know them, we would greet them as ladies and then keep our eyes cast down and get out of their way. Eerkettahn is a Matriarchal society."

With that, Theo grabbed Harry's wrist again and pulled him across the street.

"Alright. Is there anything else I need to know?" Harry asked.

"In Britain, you outrank me, simply by being the Boy Who Lived. Here, both my father and I outrank you. I will introduce you, formally. You will bow to my father when you meet him. Is that understood, Potter?" Theo asked before letting go of Harry's wrist.

"Yes, of course. What...what should I address you as?" Harry asked a little breathlessly.

"Sir Nott, when in other company. When it is just you and me....or even when it is just you, me, my father and Sabine, you can go ahead and call me Theo," Theo explained.

"And your father is Lord Nott?" Harry asked. At Theo's nod, Harry continued. "Who is Sabine and what's the House of Apeli?"

"The Utmost Ancient and Noble House of Apeli is my mother's maiden name, and they are what afford us access to living here. My mother's people, who live in Israel now actually, helped found the village," Theo replied. "And Sabine is...she is very much like the Housekeeper. She has taken care of me most of my life, after my mother died. She is not enslaved, nor is she a House-Elf. She's paid, and she lives with us. She is half...creature, but I will leave it to her to disclose that information if she chooses to. Miss Sabine is her proper title."

"Alright. Is...is there anything else I should know?" Harry asked apprehensively.

"If there is, I will tell you as it comes up. Come along, we still have a ways to go to get to my home," Theo said.

Harry followed Theo down the street, they crossed twice more for ladies that Theo didn't know, and then turned right, down a small street. The street was lined with trees and had one building on the left and one building on the right. 

"That is my father's business, as an inventor," Theo said as he pointed to the blue-brick building on the left. 

Harry smiled. "Seems nice."

Theo smiled back and then led Harry further down the street until the cobblestone turned into a dirt path. They went down a hill and then Theo grabbed Harry's wrist again.

"You keep grabbing me," Harry said quietly as Theo pulled him to the side of the road and into what looked like a large pasture.

"You could not clock-travel with me, nor get through the wards on my mother's land were I not touching you," Theo explained.

Harry looked around. Once through the wards, a very tall house with a lot of land surrounding it had come into focus. The house was more Victorian in nature than Harry had expected, given the stone and brick of the village and given the village's ties to Judaism and he knew the village itself dated back to Medieval times.

"My grandmother was fond of Victorian architecture, and remodeled the house as such back when she lived here with my grandfather," Theo answered Harry's unasked question. "Three stories - ground floor, first floor, second - two balconies, two porches. Behind the house is my father's workshop, do not go in there, and the stables. I can teach you how to sit a horse, how to ride one as well, later, if you like."

"You...you grew up here? With all of this land, and horses, and a really...truly gorgeous home?" Harry asked. Something akin to awe coloured his voice.

"Yes," Theo replied as he pulled Harry up the front steps and into the house.

***********************************

TBC


	14. Yuletide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Harry and Theo spend the Yule Holidays.
> 
> Black Manor = Grimmauld Place

**December 21st through December 31st**

The first night of Harry's stay, he'd met Theo's father and Sabine and had shared the third night of Chanukah with Theo, Lord Nott and Sabine. Sabine was at the head of the table for the meal and the lighting of the candle, and even though Harry participated they spoke in a language he didn't understand.

When asked about it later, Theo explained that it was a combination of Hebrew and Ancient Egyptian and provided a rough translation. Afterwards, Harry'd had a brief tour of the house and then they'd gone to bed early. Theo's room was the topmost floor of the house, with its own bathroom, study-room and parlour. Harry had bedded down in the study, on the sofa that transformed into a double bed.

The next day, there was a large breakfast in the dining room which consisted of bread, roasted eggs and potatoes, as well as some foods Harry'd never seen before. After, Theo took him down to the horse stables and introduced him to his horse, a lovely mare by the name of Callisto. Theo taught him how to sit a horse, and then they went for a short trot around the pasture. Theo promised Harry they'd go for some rides in the following days, but that it wasn't wise to ride too much after only just learning to sit a horse.

That evening, there were additional festivities added to the Chanukah traditions. After dinner, Lord Nott, Theo, Sabine and Harry went down to the village square for fireworks, boiled sweets, gift-giving, the lighting of the Yule log and a ribbon ceremony in honour of the Winter Solstice, otherwise known as Yule.

On the twenty-third, Theo took Harry into the village for some holiday shopping. They spent hours in the various shops. Harry looked at everything at least twice. There was a chocolate shop, a book shop, two shops dedicated to Judaism, a pagan shop, three different shops for robes and clothes of all occasions (one for ladies only -- Theo and Harry didn't go in), three restaurants, two grocery stores, an apothecary, a wandmaker's, a small art gallery and some street vendors (including a firework stand, a miscellaneous cart, food carts, and a cauldron supply cart). There were also some shops with name-signs that Harry couldn't read that they weren't allowed to go into and a pub that they couldn't go into for another two years. Finally, there were two banks (one a local bank, the other an outpost of Gringotts) and a post office and three Synagogues.

On the twenty-fourth they went back to the village and Harry spent time at the post office, sending out his presents to his friends. He was surprised to find that it was a combination post office -- with various types of birds (owls, pigeons, parrots) as well as floo-post and some kind of enchanted boxes where you placed a letter or parcel inside and they would disappear a moment later to wherever the address listed was.

 

***

The holiday visit went by very quickly.

The days were simple enough, with a lot of errands to and from the village as well as horse-riding and hanging out in Theo's room. At night, they celebrated Chanukah until its end on the evening twenty-seventh.

After Chanukah celebrations, they'd go up to Theo's room and have long conversations with cups of hot chocolate on Theo's bed, or they'd play with and study magick in Theo's study-room.

Theo also took Harry on a tour of the two magickal schools on the outskirts of the village. Schooling in Eerkettahn started at age seven, with almost all schooling before age seven being home-school and tutoring. Eerkettahn featured one school for ages seven through twelve (with both muggle and magickal course work) and another school for ages thirteen through eighteen. As a witch, wizard or mystic you came of-age at age seventeen, as such all the courses for eighteen-year-old students were at the university level and counted for credit in most major universities - though there were magickal classes too, and those would only transfer to magickal schools.

***

On the thirtieth, Harry's last day and night with Theo and in Eerkettahn, Theo took Harry down to the forests behind the Nott property.

Theo led Harry into the middle of the forest, where the tree-coverage made the bright, wintry day turn dark and cold, and then turned to face Harry.

"What you're about to see is different than at Hogwarts," Theo explained gently. "This particular herd is in a different climate and different diet than the herd at Hogwarts, but...I thought you may want to see them."

Slowly, as Harry stared at the surrounding trees, lithe horse-like figures stepped into the clearing.

Although he had a guess, Harry asked anyway. "What are they?"

"Thestrals," Theo answered.

"They are quite different than the ones at Hogwarts. What about their environment makes this...variety so....friendly-seeming?" Harry asked.

"The summers get much hotter here than in Scotland, which gives these Thestrals their more brown colouring, and the winters can get deadly cold, though there's no snow, which explained their more rounded weight and the long tails and sort of furry hair on their heads. Their diet also contributes. These Thestrals are not meat-eating creatures, but rather, nuts and berries and leaves and things," Theo said.

As Theo explained, a gust of wind lifted the canopy of leaves and bright sunlight enveloped his face and Harry caught his breath.

Theo was beautiful.

As the thought crowded his mind, Harry blushed and turned away. His body felt tight and feverish. His throat had gone dry. He understood, now, what Luna had been talking about and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Furthermore, he needed to talk to Theo about it without letting on how he felt. Surely, Theo would have the answers to his questions?

***

That night, as Harry packed up his things and readied to depart in the morning, he broached the subject with Theo, who was sitting nearby.

"How does the magickal world feel about...about the LGBTQ community and identity?" Harry asked in a rush.

Theo sat up a little straighter. "It is a good thing you are not the only muggle-raised I know, Potter, or I might seriously have no idea to what you are referring," he responded. He crossed his legs gracefully and sat back. "These things depend on where you are in the magickal world, of course. Here, for example, same-sex or same-gender marriage is legal and amongst the women it is even encouraged -- because there are more women here than men. There are completely equal rights for same-sex or same-gender couples and individuals in Eerkettahn. I do not know the scope of it in the grander, magickal world. In England, I know that it is considered to be equal in every respect as well."

Harry sighed with relief. "So there aren't...problems. It isn't something to be belittled and bullied over, it's accepted?"

"Yes. Widely. Possibly not for the more conservative magickal communities, but it is not considered to be different or other - no sexuality is, not here or in England, in terms of the magickal community in any case. Same-sex pregnancy is something that can occur due to potions, spells and magickal strength, but it is difficult and it is rare. It also can occur if one partner is a Metamorphmagus. However, it is most often that same-sex couples adopt rather than try the costly and time-consuming process of attempting pregnancy," Theo explained.

"That's good," Harry replied quietly.

"Why do you ask?" The asked.

"It was just an area that I didn't know anything about, and I figured you'd have the answers," Harry said. "Thanks...for telling me. For being so....open."

"Anytime," Theo said, but he looked at Harry rather suspiciously for the rest of the night.

***

The next morning, Theo took Harry back to the coffee shop from the first day -- with the clock-transportation -- and Harry made his way back to Kings Cross Station. 

There, amongst a nearly-empty station, Remus and Sirius were waiting for him. Sirius looked very upset.

Arms crossed over his chest, foot tapping on the ground, Sirius strode over to Harry. "We thought you were with the Weasleys, Harry!" Sirius growled.

Harry sighed. "I never said I was going on Holiday with Ron or the Weasleys, Sirius. You thought what you wanted to think and I didn't fill in the blanks."

"Where is this attitude coming from, Harry?" Remus asked quietly.

"I am fourteen, not five. I have taken care of myself for the majority of my life. I have never been a child, not really. Please stop treating me like one," Harry said.

"I do not treat you like a child! But you are my godson, and adopted into my family line. You're my family, Harry! And yes, not knowing where you are or who you were with made me panic, but....it's not like I called the Aurors or anything!" Sirius argued.

"Harry, did anyone know where you were?" Remus asked as he led them through to Platform 9 3/4 and onto one of the floo-stations.

"My friends knew where I was," Harry replied.

"That's a lie!" Sirius said.

Before he could defend himself and before Sirius could continue, Remus shoved Sirius through the floo. "You're next, Harry," he said.

Harry grabbed a bit of floo-powder and floo'd to Black Manor, closely followed by Remus.

***

Sitting at the kitchen table, with tea-service ready and a hot cup of tea in his hands, Harry looked back and forth between his guardians.

"You can't just go off wherever and whenever you want, Harry. No one knew where you were," Remus said as he sipped a large mug of tea.

Sirius used part of the scone he'd been eating to gesture wildly around the room while he was speaking. "We spoke to the Weasleys. We even talked to Hermione and her parents. Your friends didn't know where you were!" he cried.

"If you hadn't shown up today, we were going to have to call the Aurors. We were worried," Remus supplied.

"Did you talk to Neville?" Harry asked, his voice was dangerously soft.

"Why would we ask Longbottom where you were?" Sirius asked before stuffing another bite of scone in his mouth.

"He's my friend. One of my best friends. He knew where I was. And...you talked to all the Weasleys?" Harry asked.

"We weren't aware of that, pup," Remus said gently. "And, no. Sirius spoke to Molly, Arthur and Ron."

"If you'd spoken to George or Ginny, they'd have led you in the proper direction," Harry responded. He got up from the kitchen table and walked to the doorway.

"Where are you going? We're not finished here," Sirius said.

"I understand that, Godfather. But I have been back at least half an hour and I haven't put my things away yet. I haven't settled in at all. And it's New Years eve tonight. I had hoped to go to the festivities in Hogsmeade or, at the very least, Diagon Alley. It's important to me, to celebrate with wizard-kind, in magickal ways, you know that," Harry answered.

"Oh no, I don't think so," Sirius said as he pushed away from the table. "You were gone for nearly ten days, to who knows where. I am revoking your privileges. You will stay in your room except for meals, the rest of the holiday and I am going to be revoking your access to Hogsmeade for a month as well, once you get back to Hogwarts."

Harry's face shut down. His back straightened. "Whatever you feel is best, Godfather," he said quietly as he turned on his heel and marched up the stairs.

Remus sighed. "I will agree to revoking Hogsmeade, but I don't think we should punish Harry in the same way his Aunt and Uncle did, Sirius. It won't be good for him, or us. It could be very damaging. I believe your mind-healer has been explaining some of Harry's trauma to you as well as helping you with your own, isn't that correct?"

At Sirius's nod, Remus continued. "Locking him up in his room isn't a good punishment, Padfoot. It's a re-traumatization of his previous life. Surely we can come up with something more appropriate?"

"Being grounded is a typical teenage behavioral punishment, Moony," Sirius said, holding firm.

"It, along with added chores and menial labour, is not appropriate for Harry. Please, see reason," Remus pleaded.

"What else are we going to do?" Sirius asked, his tone eased, his posture relaxed.

"I'm not sure," Remus replied. "But first we must get him to tell us where he was."

*******************

TBC


	15. Back to School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry goes back to school.  
> Also, there's a flashback to his conversation with Remus and Sirius.

**/FLASHBACK/**

The knock on his bedroom door came quicker than he'd expected and Harry sighed as he opened the last of the gifts Kreacher had been storing for him. 

Harry turned, walked the few paces to the door and flung it open. He stepped back to allow entry to Remus and his godfather.

"What did you get for Yule, Harry?" Remus asked gently.

Harry sat down in his desk chair, leaving the present-strewn bed for the other two occupants of his room. "Books, mostly. A large bar of chocolate from Hagrid. A scarf from Mrs. Weasley. A collectible potions bottle from Fred and George. Few other items," he replied shortly.

"It's nice that Mrs. Weasley always thinks of you," Remus said softly.

"Yeah. So...why don't you ask me what you came in to ask me instead of us going on with the small talk?" Harry said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Right. Well. Harry. Remus and I had a long talk and I realized it isn't right to punish you by locking you up in your room. So, instead, we're gonna have this out - talking, wise. And then, well....Remus thinks a mind-healer might be good for you....get you to talk about the Dursleys, about whatever is going on between you and Ron and Hermione," Sirius said in a rush.

"So...I'm not grounded?" Harry asked.

"You are grounded, pup," Sirius responded. "It'll be this house and Hogwarts and that's that, til we see you in the summer."

"What?!" Harry exclaimed. "But that's six months away! You can't seriously be thinking you'll ground me for six months!"

"You should have thought of that when you went off for nearly two weeks without telling anyone where you'd gone," Sirius replied. His voice was quiet, but there was a line of steel under it Harry'd never heard before.

Harry glared at Sirius, but kept quiet. He didn't want the punishment to be any worse than it already was, and besides...he liked Hogwarts. Telling him he couldn't leave the grounds was pretty fine with him, thank you very much.

"We have spoken to Headmaster Dumbledore, and he has agreed to let the mind-healer we've picked out to visit you twice a week. A classroom has been set aside for her use. Additionally, you will also be allowed to leave campus for the Tournament, but at no other time, Harry. And, I am sorry, but...Sirius will pick you up from the castle on 20th, June, when the term is over," Remus explained.

"That seems a bit...much. I'm grounded to the campus, except for possibly getting myself killed, I have to have a mind-healer come visit me twice a week _and_ my godfather will be picking me up from school....all so I won't go around on my own? What the hell, Remus!?" Harry exclaimed.

"Language!" Sirius growled.

Harry barely resisted rolling his eyes.

"We couldn't find you. This is a serious matter, and you don't seem to be taking it that way," Remus replied.

"Where were you, prongslet?" Sirius said, his voice went soft and gentle on the moniker.

"I was perfectly safe. I was with a friend and his family. In an enchanted, magickal village. Everything was fine! I had a very good time, I learned a lot, and I was safer than...." Harry trailed off.

"Who were you with and why is it so difficult for you to tell us?" Remus inquired.

"Theodore Nott, Lord Braam Nott and Miss Sabine," Harry volunteered. "And it isn't hard to tell you, rather I worried about your reactions."

"You mean to say you're good friends with the Nott boy? Isn't his family...dark?" Sirius asked.

"I believe Lord Nott is what is known as a gray wizard. Theo hasn't really discovered his sway yet, and Miss Sabine practices a different sort of magick altogether," Harry explained. "But, yes, we're good friends."

"He's a Slytherin, Harry," Sirius admonished.

"Yes, yes he is. He's my friend," Harry defended.

"A quiet boy, if I recall from last year. Creative in his essays. Decent at wand-work, defensively," Remus added. "And...your friends are aware of this?"

"Neville, Luna, George, Fred, Ginny and Blaise are, in any case. Hermione and Ron and the rest of Gryffindor and I have had a bit of a falling out," Harry confessed.

**//**

"Are you alright, Harry?" Ron asked rather loudly, jolting Harry out of his memories.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, Ron, I'm fine."

It was the fourth of January and classes resumed the next day. Harry sat in a cabin by himself on the train back to school.

"Did Sirius and Remus ever find you then?" Ron asked as he sat on the bench opposite Harry.

Harry barely resisted the wince that wanted to form. He'd intended to have Theo, Neville, Luna, Blaise and Ginny sit with him on the ride back. Apparently Ron thought the train was a good place to renew their friendship. 

Harry gave a short shrug and then nodded again. "Yeah, we talked it all out. Sorry they descended on you," he replied.

"It was no problem, mate. I'm glad they did. Gave me something to approach you about. I've been really upset that, well....that we've drifted. I hope you can understand. I just can't go in for all that Pureblood rot, Harry," Ron said.

Harry sighed. "I am not spouting 'Pureblood rot,' Ron. I am simply expressing my desire to have grown up in the magickal world. To have understood magickal customs _before_ starting at Hogwarts -- upon which I knew nothing and no one. I am expressing my desire to not have wizard customs trounced on and shoved out in favour of muggle ones. I do not advocate for harming muggles. I am not saying the muggle world is any less or any better than ours. I am not of the mind that muggles are inferior. I just want some respect for our traditions too!" he exclaimed.

It was Ron's turn to sigh. "Is it...is it because the muggles you lived with abused you?" he asked after several moments.

Harry imagined his cupboard and shoved all of his unpleasant emotions, and his nasty temper, inside and slammed the door - in his mind. He took a deep breath and then decided on honesty. "Partially, perhaps," he said.

Ron nodded. "We thought so. Hermione and me. But..when you never talked about it...." he trailed off.

"I had to consider Privet Drive my home. Dumbledore told me so, my first year. So, during the school term, I left it behind me. Pretended none of it happened, really," Harry explained.

At that moment, Neville, George, Blaise and Ginny entered the cabin.

Ron's face went from red to a pale, sickly yellow in a heartbeat and he stood abruptly. "I have to get going. Gonna find Hermione, Seamus and Dean. Wouldn't....you can come, Harry, if you like," he said as he rushed to the door.

"I'm good here, thanks, Ron," Harry said.

Ron nodded and then left.

Ginny and Blaise sat next to him, Neville and George sat across.

"Are we waiting for Fred?" Harry addressed his question to George.

George grinned. "No. He's sitting with Luna and some of her Ravenclaw friends. They got to know each other over the holidays and seem to be hitting it off. Neville and I hope...well...we hope a match is made," he responded.

Neville turned a delicate shade of pink. "George," he said softly in admonishment.

Harry laughed. "Is everyone pairing off so quickly then? Surely, we're a bit young."

"Speak for yourself, mate," George said with a wink.

"Oh, yes, I am sure you are quite over-the-hill at all of sixteen, Sir Weasley, presumptive heir to the Ancient House of Weasley," Theodore said, in a rather formal tone, as he stepped into the cabin.

At sixteen, turning seventeen later in the year, George was the highest-ranking member in the cabin; for now. He'd be displaced the moment Harry and Neville turned fifteen and took up their family's titles.

George nodded, rather regally, at Theo and then grinned. "Take a seat, Theodore. The train's about to start moving," he said jovially.

"What did Ron want?" Neville asked, handily changing the subject.

"To patch things up, I expect. But, he started in on me about 'Pureblood rot," and then he brought up my relatives...didn't really seem like we'd get very far, but then he rushed away as soon as you guys came in, so..." Harry said.

"That's our fault, sorry, Harry," Ginny said.

"What? Why?" Harry asked as Theo sat down across from him.

"Ronald is extremely displeased with both Ginevra and George's betrothals," Blaise explained.

"But... they're proper, right? I mean, that's what we do -- in the magickal world?" Harry said. His voice was puzzled, but bordering on exasperation.

"Yes, Harry," Theo said softly. "But, most witches and wizards these days wait to fall in love and do not get bonded through the use of betrothal contracts. The fact that George and Ginny have both done so even though their family is not traditional, nor noble, is...to put it mildly, odd."

"Ron's just angry. Thinks I've turned myself into a Slytherin or something. It's hard for him to handle on top of whatever's been bad between you two over the last few months," Ginny explained.

"He didn't realize Neville or I were even gay, let alone looking to have the safety and reassurances of a contract," George said. "But...he's mostly just angry that Neville, Fred, Ginny and I are going in such a....traditional manner. He had a fit when Bill took up the Weasley mantle and when Percy got written permission from Charlie to take on the Prewett seat."

"I didn't realize that had happened," Harry admitted. 

"Well, you and Ron are on the outs right now anyway, so it makes sense he wouldn't have told you. I think we all assumed you knew though," replied Neville.

"It'll be an interesting year next year, won't it? So many of us coming into lordships and things," Harry commented.

"It will be the largest class of traditional students Hogwarts has seen in the last twenty years," Blaise said.

"Anything from the trolley!?" a voice shouted through the open door, interrupting the conversation.

As Maribel, the cart-lady, rolled the cart into view, Harry grinned. He loved magick so much and going back to Hogwarts was just what he needed, even if he did dread the coming therapy sessions.

************************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At age fifteen, a witch or wizard may come into their lordship or apparent or presumptive lordship, if they so choose. 
> 
> The witch or wizard will only take over all titles and holdings at fifteen if the heir before them has passed on said titles/holdings, or if the heir before them has died, or if the heir before them officially and legally declared to not be taking the title/holdings.
> 
> In George Weasley's case, Bill Weasley is Lord Weasley of the Ancient House of Weasley, and George is his presumptive heir until Bill's first-born comes of age. Fred Weasley is the presumptive heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Prewett, with Percy Weasley holding the title of Lord Percival Weasley of the Ancient and Noble House of Prewett. The Weasley House was stripped of its "noble" status when they became blood-traitors (as in, officially denied their noble status, gave up their Wizengamot seat, etc.).


	16. Hogwarts; January - 4th Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry finds out some new info about the tournament, attends classes, confirms an Ancient Studies meeting, has a bit of a friends gathering. Also, there's a confrontation in Gryffindor.
> 
> **COUGH*** Ahem. Hem. Hem. Yes, I have stolen a line from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, tv series. Season Three, I think. From Oz. So, yeah. A Joss line made its way into my chapter. Sorry, not sorry. Lol.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember Before You Comment:  
> I am trying hard to take this in a Dark!Harry direction. This story is not canon. It's AU. Harry would never in a million years support Trump OR Lord Voldemort. Harry does not want bad things to happen to good people, regardless of if they're muggles. But, he no longer believes as he once did. He firmly believes he would be better off in the magickal world, full-stop. He believes magickal people should be allowed to learn they're magickal before the age of eleven. His opinion is evolving as the story evolves. This story is tagged appropriately, so please read the tags too before you comment.

The first week back at school went by fairly smoothly. 

Harry attended his classes, planned the next club meeting, turned in his holiday assignments and spent hours doing homework. He ate his meals in the kitchens with Theo, Neville, Luna and George. He sat with Theo, outing their friendship to the rest of the school, when they had a shared class and he sat with Neville when they didn't.

There were classes in which he didn't have Theo or Neville to sit with though. On Mondays and Wednesdays, in Wizarding Law and Government, he sat with Tony - a Ravenclaw student he was good friends with. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, in Wandlore, he sat with Sally-Anne Perks.

Mostly, though, he tried hard to keep to himself and keep up with the workload.

And then that night at dinner, Headmaster Dumbledore had an announcement -- which meant that, for the first time that week, Harry and his dinner companions ate dinner in the Great Hall. 

"In order to make the Tournament fair for all three schools, and all parties involved, the Ministry of Magic and the Magical Sports and Games Department has come to a ruling and added an additional Champion for both the Durmstrang and Weatherly schools. The additional Champions were chosen by an unaffiliated, neutral party and they are: Mila Gresage and Richard Watts," Headmaster Dumbledore announced.

The two teens chosen stood up, took a bow each and then sat back down.

"I need all the Champions in my office at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. That is all," the Headmaster finished.

Harry looked around at the other Champions and exchanged a slightly worried look with Cedric Diggory before returning to his meal.

**

After dinner, skipping Gryffindor Lessons which Harry still felt was rather useless, Harry went up to the Owlery. He sent a brief message, each with a different owl, to the remaining club members:

_The password has changed and a new S. scroll is going around. Sign it. Next meeting, January seventeenth. Eleven o'clock, night. For details ask N.L. or T.N._

Harry took the time to charm each parchment individually so that they could only be read by the person he was sending them to, and then he sent off the owls.

With that handled, Harry headed to the Room of Requirement -- a gorgeous magickal room that Dobby had found for him -- to meet up with Theo, Blaise, Ginny, George, Neville, Luna, and Eve to study and do homework. It was a Friday night thing that they'd established back in November, when it turned out they were all kind of odd-people-out in giving Slytherins and Gryffindors a chance and that they all could benefit from a study group of different levels. It was the first time both George and Ginny were coming to the group. Earlier that day, Luna'd told Harry she was also going to bring Sally-Anne along, which was fine with him.

"What do you suppose the Headmaster wants?" Theo asked as Harry sat down across from him in the Room of Requirement.

Otherwise known as the Come-and-Go Room, tonight it was decked out like a common room that couldn't decide what house it was in. There were squashy armchairs of various house colours and long gray and white sofas, a couple of black bookcases, a completely stocked tea service (courtesy of the House Elves) and rugs and tapestries which represented each of the Houses except Hufflepuff.

"I would imagine it's to tell Potter and the rest of that lot about the First Task," Blaise commented as he opened his potions' text to the required reading for the assignment.

"I hope so," Harry replied. "Otherwise, none of us have any idea and I'll be totally unprepared. It could be anything. Subjects I've never studied, chapters we haven't covered yet, duels with things I can't identify..."

"It won't be that bad, Harry. You'll see. It'll be familiar," said Luna.

Harry laughed. "If you know what it is, Luna, you should tell me."

"Uh uh, let him be surprised like everyone else!" George added.

"Didn't you say it had patterns and shapes, Luna?" Sally-Anne asked.

Luna blinked sleepily for a moment and then yawned. "I need to go, but, yes. It's got shapes and patterns...and it's magickal."

"Of course it's magickal," Ginny said. "The whole tournament is about magick."

"Why do you have to go, Luna?" Neville asked quietly.

"I'm meeting Fred," Luna replied as she packed her books back into her bag and stood.

"Wait a bit, Luna, me and Nev will go with you. I need to talk a bit of business with my brother," George said as he rose and then beckoned to Neville.

Neville went a bit red and then ducked his head. "Yeah, I'll come along too."

"But we all just got here, and I've questions!" Harry said. His voice edged towards exasperated.

"Transfiguration again, Harry?" Theo asked.

"Well, yeah. I just...I understand the theory, but getting it to work out in the practical, it has problems," Harry whined.

Theo laughed. "You don't need the whole of us for that, just me."

George laughed, and Neville and Luna followed him out -- they each gave Harry a bit of a wave, though, upon exiting.

"You're not having trouble in Arithmancy again are you, Potter?" Blaise asked.

"Come on, Blaise, he's not having trouble. Harry gets it. He just likes you to look over things so he doesn't get poor grades. Especially while this bloody tournament is going on," Ginny supplied.

"I wondered about the potions assignment in my grade, to be perfectly honest," Eve said politely. "I cannot understand how my potion went wrong. I followed all the steps. Professor Snape wishes me to write an essay about what I did wrong and explaining the properties, but I just do not understand."

"Come with me," Sally-Anne said as she stared at Eve. "We'll head down to the student lab and work it out together. Being a year older, I may be of some help." She looked over at Ginny. "It's your year too, yes?"

Ginny nodded. Her face had tuned a bright red.

"Are you behind on the assignment as well?" Sally-Anne asked.

"Yeah. Well, I mean...I'm not _behind_ , but I didn't do it correctly in class and I'm a Gryffindor so it's not as if he's nice about it!" Ginny exclaimed.

"As a rule, Professor Snape is horrible to us -- to Gryffindors. But, Ginevra, that can't be an excuse for poor marks. Especially when you have two older brothers who are excellent at potions," Sally-Anne admonished.

"Ack, as if that means anything!" Ginny exclaimed. "Ron is pants as potions, and he's a year older than me."

"Ronald does not care about potions or any other subject other than Defense and if Quidditch was an actual subject he would be getting top marks in that as well, Ginevra," Blaise said softly. "You are good at potions. Please do not use the excuse of your inferior brother as a way of dodging coursework."

"It wasn't of Ronald that I was speaking," Sally-Anne said. "But of Fred and George. I would imagine, as a curse-breaker, your oldest brother is also probably apt. And I recall Lord Percy Weasley was also astute in the subject. Really, Ginevra."

Ginny sighed. "You're right, you're right," she said as she tried not to frown. The truth was, she hated potions. She hated most of her classes, aside from Charms. She really just wanted to fly.

"Come on, Ginevra, Eve, let's go down to the student lab and work this through. I'll help. I promise," Sally-Anne insisted.

And that was all it took.

As Ginny left, Blaise gave Harry a slightly sheepish expression and then pressed a hand over his heart.

"As Ginny goes, so goes my nation," Blaise added on his way out the door.

Theo and Harry looked at each other a bit awkwardly for a moment and then moved to sit together on the same couch. The other chairs and couches disappeared after a few moments.

"Okay. So. The transfiguration assignment?" asked Theo.

Harry nodded and then took a deep breath. Ever since he'd discovered he liked Theo, in a romantic way, he'd been having trouble being around him alone. He swallowed, hard, and then slowly evened out his breathing.

"So, the cross-species transfiguration works best when the species have some attributes in common. Such as, rabbits and cats both have fur, small noses, pointed ears, larger back feet than front, et cetera. Although this is not, possibly, the best example, it would work with the proper spell, wand movement and mathematics. Right now, we're focused on..." Theo began.

As Theo continued to explain the theory, Harry got a bit lost in the sound of his voice.

**

The next day after breakfast, Harry headed up to the Headmaster's office.

The Gargoyle greeted him as though they were old friends, and then Harry ascended to Headmaster Dumbledore's front door.

Harry sighed, pushed his thoughts and emotions into his cupboard-under-the-stairs inside his mind and joined the group in the Headmaster's office.

Harry sat next to Viktor Krum, who was sitting next to Adelaide McGee, who was sitting next to Richard Watts. Cedric Diggory and Mila Gresage stood up against the wall, next to Auror Alastor Moody, Sir Bartemius Crouch and Mr. Ludovic Bagman. Headmaster Dumbledore sat behind his desk, his hands folded on top of a large tome.

"Good, I'm glad everyone's here," the Headmaster said. "Barty, if we could get on with it?"

Bartemius resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It annoyed him when Headmaster Dumbledore dropped his title. His family was pureblood, and regardless of whatever had happened to his only son, they were a noble family. "Yes, of course," he said instead. "Mr. Bagman?"

Ludovic 'Ludo' Bagman cleared his throat. "The first task will be a team effort," he explained.

"What?" Adelaide McGee asked. She tucked her long, light-blonde hair behind her ears and leaned further back into her chair.

"Well, not precisely a team effort," Sir Crouch clarified.

"What utter nonsense!" Auror Moody barked. "You'll be divided into pairs and expected to work together against the other two teams on a grid."

"Will it be school against school or are we being mixed up together, sir?" Richard Watts asked quietly.

"School against school, lad!" Auror Moody exclaimed.

Harry looked over at Cedric, who shrugged.

"So, we'll need to get together, plan a strategy, something?" Harry offered.

"We do expect you to work together. The score for the team will be the score you each get," Mr. Bagman explained.

"Vhat do ve prepare for?" Viktor Krum asked softly in his gruff voice.

"Ah, yes. The First Task, Mr. Krum, will be a Rune Battle," Mr. Bagman replied.

"Lord," Viktor corrected.

"I beg your pardon?" Mr. Bagman said.

"Lord Viktor Krum," Sir Crouch explained. "He is the Lord and Master of his family line, and you should address him as such."

"Oh, you know I don't stand on ceremony! I don't go in for all that nonsense, sorry," Mr. Bagman explained.

"I am from different country, Mr. Bag-man. Ve expect the proper respect there. Ve honour our noble families," Lord Krum argued.

"This is all very well and good, but we are quite off-subject," Headmaster Dumbledore interrupted. He looked most displeased about the turn of the conversation. "Cedric, Harry, you'll be team one as you have the Highest scores. Lord Krum, Lady Gresage, you'll be team two. That leaves Mr. Watts and Miss McGee as team three. You will be playing, or battling, against each other. The rules and way it will work will be told to you on the day of the First Task, which is February fourteenth. Ludo and Barty expect you to work together to defeat the other two teams, and it will be rune based. That is all we can tell you, you are dismissed."

Harry got up and out of the office faster than the rest of them, but was stopped in the first-floor corridor by Cedric Diggory, who was panting at having to keep up with him.

"Slow down, Potter," Cedric said with half a laugh.

Harry paused, shuffled off to the corner and turned. "You can call me Harry, if we're to work together," he said.

"Oh. Good. You'll call me Cedric then, alright?" Cedric asked.

Harry nodded.

"When do you want to meet up to go over runes and things? I admit, I have little experience with runes. I didn't take the class here, you know. So I've just got my mother's tutelage on them to go on. You?" Cedric said in a rush.

"You...you've never studied runes?" Harry asked.

"Well no, not actually," Cedric confessed. "My mother is fond of them, and uses them in our warding and in certain kinds of magick, and I have learned some things from her though."

Harry did some adding-up in his head about his classes, homework, the couple of correspondence courses he was nearing the end of, the club meetings, the study group, eating, sleep and showers and gave a quick grimace. "Will one hour during the week and one hour on Sundays work for you, or do you think we need more time?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think that'll work. I mean, I'll have you to help, and I just really need to learn how to draw them, right?" Cedric said.

"Yeah. But, there are different alphabets, and we don't know what one -- or ones -- will be used. So, yes. Ideally you'll have a sense of what they mean too. And we'll need to figure out a way to work together too," Harry explained.

"How many alphabets are there?" Cedric wanted to know.

"Three which are best-known," Harry said. "And the Younger Futhark has different branches. But there is also a quite esoteric branch too. I doubt that will be used, as it isn't often studied outside of a specialty. Additionally, there's also Parseltongue Runes, but, again, that's not studied."

"Alright. When do you want to start?" Cedric asked.

Harry thought quickly about the coming days and then nodded. "I can meet for the first time on Wednesday. We can meet in the empty classroom on the third floor, down the corridor with the Pirate ship painting. I can't meet this coming Sunday though, so we might need to make that up on another day."

Cedric nodded and then held out his hand. They shook hands in agreement and then Harry headed back to Gryffindor tower.

**

Harry grabbed his books and homework and things as soon as he got back to Gryffindor. He stuffed it all into his bag and was just about to leave again when Hermione approached him.

"We miss you, Harry," she said quietly.

If he was surprised by her approach, Harry didn't show it. He simply nodded and then glanced at the portrait-door.

"I know you're on your way out. Probably to other secret meetings or Merlin knows what, but, Harry, we have to talk about this. Ron and I...we're still your friends," Hermione said as a delicate blush stole across her face and she looked at the floor.

Harry frowned. He wasn't sure what that was about, but he didn't really want to know. "How are you my friends if you don't believe I didn't sign up for the tournament?" he asked.

She glanced up. "We're still your friends, Harry. And neither one of us said we didn't believe you. It's just hard to take it on faith."

"When have I ever lied to you?" Harry questioned. "Honestly. Out-right lied?"

"You've been having secret little meetings and secret friendships all term, Harry Potter!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I told you, I literally _can't_ tell you about the meetings. And...I'm friends with people, Hermione. You know I have other friends," Harry argued.

"Like Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini?" Hermione asked. "Slytherins, really?"

"They're my friends. And they are both worthy of a second chance. What have they ever done to you?" Harry asked.

"Blaise acts like I'm not in the room when I am. When I speak, ask questions, voice answers, when I am just _there_ , his eyes slide right past me, Harry. Those Slytherins don't genuinely like anyone who isn't just like they are. They like you because you look up to them and want to be like them! Not for just who you are!" Hermione exclaimed.

Harry's face shut down. He withdrew and stepped back. "That's too far. I am like them, Hermione. I fit in their world. I want to. But they are my friends, regardless." He lowered his voice. "And Blaise loves Ginny. Or at least he will. Regardless. No one fawns after them. No one wants to be them. They like us -- at least Theo, Blaise and Eve do, anyway. Show some respect, Hermione, please," he said.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "Will you never see reason and come back to us?" she pleaded.

Harry sighed. "Why does it have to be either or?" he asked as he walked away.

******************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new roster for the Ancient Studies Club:  
> Harry Potter  
> Theo Nott  
> Draco Malfoy  
> Blaise Zabini  
> Pansy Parkinson  
> Eve Parkinson  
> Daphne Greengrass  
> Millicent Bulstrode  
> Luna Lovegood  
> Sally-Anne Perks  
> Zacharias Smith  
> Neville Longbottom  
> Mervyn Wynch  
> Astoria Greengrass  
> Ginny Weasley  
> George Weasley


	17. Therapy and Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's first therapy session. Then, he meets with Cedric about runes - and brings some of his friends along. Then, he attends the next club meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry is in no way a Trump supporter, nor does he want to "make the wizarding world great again." He's not a leader, he's not in charge. The most he's doing is trying not to get killed in the TWT, running an illegal club, going a bit dark, and maintaining good grades in the majority of his classes, and falling in love with Theo. That's what this story is about. He's not a fascist (please look up the definition of that word before calling him one) and he is in no way like 45. So back off. Please stop commenting and stop reading, if you can't understand the differences. He is NOT anti-muggle.

It was eight o'clock in the evening on Wednesday and Harry was sitting in an unused classroom that had been redesigned to look more like someone's living room. It was a little unfortunate that the first Mind-Healer session was tonight, because he'd had to reschedule his meeting with Cedric for Saturday -- and extend it from a one hour rune-session to three.

The Mind-Healer's name was Margaret Drummond. She was sitting across from him, her legs crossed, in a dark plum-coloured chair. She wore excellently tailored robes the colour of green apples, in the latest fashion. Her hair was an odd bright red that Harry'd never seen before, but he assumed it was magickally enhanced.

Healer Drummond smiled and cast a wordless spell on the parchment in her lap. "The spell records what you say on the parchment, so that I can pay attention more fully. Now, we're going to start by my telling you the things that your guardians told me, and then you can feel free to respond to any of it, however you see fit," she said. "Is that alright?"

Harry nodded and then said, "Sure." He wasn't actually all that open to these appointments, but he knew that was because it had been used as some kind of punishment first and foremost. Besides, he did want to know whatever Sirius and Remus had said about him.

"Your godfather and Mr. Lupin both seem to feel that you've rather wandered off the path that they've set for you. Or that they've tried to set. Mr. Black is concerned about your use of dark magick, but he hasn't indicated there's any real proof of that. Mr. Lupin is concerned about your degrading relationship with your friends. They are both concerned about your attitude, and about the influence that some of your new friends may have on you," Healer Drummond explained.

"Additionally," she continued, "they both seem very concerned about your first thirteen years of living with your Aunt and Uncle. Mr Lupin, especially, was adamant that you discuss your time and treatment there. Now, it is up to you what you talk about and nothing you say to me will be reported back. I will be giving them weekly updates, but they will not be specific. The only time in which I will divulge information gleaned here is in the event that you become a danger to yourself or others. Do you understand, Mr. Potter?"

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I get it. But...you're saying, basically, I don't have to open up to you if I don't want to."

"That is correct. Though I would recommend that you do so, as your guardians seemed absolutely determined that you do. To someone in the profession, in any case," Healer Drummond replied.

"Why do you think Sirius thinks that my friends are a bad influence on me?" Harry asked.

Healer Drummond gave a quick smile and then nodded. "I believe your godfather is a bit biased when it comes to people who are sorted Slytherin. From what I understand from both him and Mr. Lupin it is only your friendships with a couple of traditionalist Slytherins that they are worried about," she responded.

"Theo and Blaise are good people," Harry said softly. "I really enjoy being friends with them. And I really like Theo. His worldview is much different than most, seeing as how his family fled from the Dark Lord, rather than serve him. And they are traditionalists, but they aren't against muggles or muggle-borns either. Not like Malfoy, who really does have an anti-muggle bias."

"And why do you like hanging out with them, Harry?" Healer Drummond asked.

Harry smiled. "They don't treat me like I'm destined to save them. All my friends -- Theo, Blaise, Neville, George, Fred, Luna, Ginny, Eve, Sally-Anne, Tony -- treat me like I'm a regular person. I'm not the Boy Who Lived to them. I'm just Harry. I love that. I love that they expect me to be my best self, but they aren't judgmental or disappointed when I'm not. And they don't need me to save them; they don't expect me to. They don't expect that I'll have wondrous, amazingly strong magick, or that I'll fly off into danger at the first sign of someone in trouble. I don't...I don't have a saving people thing, as Hermione likes to call it, around them," he explained.

"They accept you, for who you really are?" Healer Drummond asked.

Harry grinned. "They really do," he said.

"Well, that's a good start," Healer Drummond replied.

"I don't want to talk about the Dursleys -- my Aunt and Uncle," Harry said suddenly.

"You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to, Harry," Healer Drummond said.

"Okay. Just. I do want to say...I know what they did to me, what they allowed, was abuse. Neglect. Starvation. Out-right abuse, in some cases. Emotional trauma, certainly. I know it. But...I'm dealing with it. And, at the time, I really didn't have other options. I am aware I have issues trusting adults because of it. Theo pointed that out to me, a while back. But...I don't want to talk about it. Them, or Dudley. They're in the past now...you see?" Harry asked.

Healer Drummond nodded. "Our past influences and affects our future. There are things that should be dealt with there, Harry, but...for now at least, you can discuss, or not discuss, whatever you wish," she said.

"Alright. Well. And what I tell you only goes so far as you?" Harry asked.

She held up the recording-parchment. "This goes into your file, but it can only be read by me. It can be read by another medical professional if you state in writing that you're alright with that. Your file is under a pseudonym, because of who you are. Nothing you tell me will be told to your guardians. In fact, the kind of things I will tell them are as follows: yes, he's okay; yes, he has issues to work through; yes, I can help him; yes, we're making progress. Or whatever the opposite is, if that's the case," Healer Drummond explained. "So, as you see, these sessions are in confidence. And...this room is very well warded."

Harry nodded and then leaned forward. "I think I might be gay," he said at last.

Healer Drummond smiled. "Well, let's talk about that then," she said.

**

On Saturday morning, Harry made his way to the unused classroom on the third floor. He'd had Dobby come in and clean it, as well as remove the furniture and set up a seating area, but leave the room largely empty.

Upon entering, he walked to the very back of the classroom. Two couches sat next to each other with a coffee-table between them. He set his bag down on the coffee-table, next to stocked tea-service tray. His bag was stocked with parchment, quills and all the books on runes that he owned.

Harry marched over to the other end of the classroom and took out his primary wand. There, on the gray concrete floor, he charmed a large chalk-outlined grid. He wasn't sure how big or small the grid they'd be working on during the task would be, but he felt it'd be good to get a sense of how they might use it.

He looked up when the door opened, admitting Theo, Luna and Fred.

"Mr. Diggory isn't here yet?" Theo asked as he sat down on the far end of one of the sofas.

"Not yet," Harry replied.

Luna began setting up the rooms' blackboard with large-scale drawings of some of the most standard defensive runes.

"I'm happy to help, Harry," Fred said as he looked over the blackboard drawings. "But I'm not sure what you want me to do."

"Aside from Hermione and Malfoy, you're the three people I know who know the most about runes. Luna, because of her very special gifts, Theo because of his father's inventions, and you, Fred, because you're currently in the NEWT runes class. Basically, I just need your help in teaching them to Cedric -- in a way that makes sense for battling with them, I suppose," Harry explained.

"How did the mind-healer go, Harry?" Luna asked suddenly. Her work completed, she sat down next to Theo.

"It went fine," Harry replied. "I think I'll get a lot of use out of it."

The classroom door opened and Cedric walked in. He eyed the people in the room for a moment before smiling at Harry.

"Who are your friends, Harry?" Cedric asked.

Harry nodded and began pointing around the room. "Let me introduce you. Everyone, this is Cedric Diggory. Cedric, this is Theodore Nott, Luna Lovegood and Fred Weasley."

"Alright. Well. I don't mean to be rude, but why are you here?" Cedric asked.

"We're here to help, silly," Luna said as she stood and walked back to the blackboard. "Harry's going to teach you the spell to manipulate runes that are drawn on any particular surface, and Theo, Fred and I will help, along with Harry, to teach you the runes and how to use them."

"Best to get settled in, Diggory," Theo said. "We'll be here for a while."

"And there's tea, provided by one of Harry's house-elves," Fred said as he opened the first book and handed it to Cedric.

Cedric glanced down at the book. "Rune drawing for kids?" he asked sharply.

Harry blushed. "It's where I started," he explained.

Cedric nodded. 

"Alright, alright," Luna said as she clapped her hands together. "Basics, first, then we get to play with runes!"

With that, the session began.

Harry taught Cedric a charm to put on his hands so that he could manipulate drawings or tangible runes by some simple hand gestures. Luna taught Cedric runes with the big blackboard. Both Theo and Fred helped. 

In the third hour, they all stood around the grid to help determine how to do battle with runes inside the grid.

**

Later that night, Harry joined the paired-down Ancient Studies club in the Chamber of Secrets for their first meeting since they'd all been back from their holidays.

"Settle down, guys!" Harry called out as he stood in front of the gathered group. "Now, for this lesson, Mervyn Wynch is going to take point, so listen up and pay attention. We're going to be getting into some of the darker spells now -- ones that cause damage, rather than ones which are dark by association or because of the Ministry's fears or misinformation."

Harry walked to the back of the group to stand next to Theo as Wynch took over the lesson.

"Okay, let's start with what we know," Mervyn said. "There is a difference between Dark Arts and Dark Magick, but the Ministry would have us believe that these are the same things and that they are always wrong or always dangerous or always evil, or even, that they always cause harm."

"What is the difference between Dark Arts and Dark Magick?" Ginny Weasley wanted to know.

"Would someone other than Potter or Nott care to explain that?" Mervyn replied.

"Dark Arts is the study or implementation of magick which is dark in nature or act. Magick which _can_ cause harm," Draco explained. "It also refers to studying, or using, magick which is not inherently light. Magick which _can_ have consequences or magick which _may_ require a sacrifice."

"Dark Magick," Pansy said. "Is a type of magick which is not light, but which is just as valuable and useful as magick which is light or gray. Dark magick _may_ be harmful or destructive, but it is also misunderstood. Dark magick is also an alignment. This means that a witch, wizard or other magickal being may be dark - have more dark magick than light. This does not mean they cannot use light magick, simply that they will not have an affinity for light magick. All magick has some kind of alignment. Dark magick is just another kind, or branch, of magick. That does not make it inherently evil."

"But it can be, and it most often is used for harm, right?" George asked.

"That depends on the individual witch, wizard or magickal being," Harry replied. "Dark magick is different than light, and usually takes more power, or a sacrifice as Malfoy said. It's not inherently evil. Rather...it's dark -- it does utilize the powers of the dark, of black, of things that can harm, things that can scare, things that do not dwell in the light."

"It isn't inherently evil," Neville said quietly. "And some things that are categorized as dark magick, or as dark arts...really aren't. Some things are listed that way simply to help magickal governments control their people. While other spells, enchantments and things really are dark, really are evil. But still, it depends on us. If we use dark magick, if we study dark arts, to cause pain and suffering, then that's a choice we've made. It isn't because the magick made us do so."

"Dark magick has its miraculous properties. Its beauties, just as light magick or gray magick does," said Eve.

"Right. Well. Here's the thing," Mervyn said. "Tonight, we will be learning spells that cause harm. Dark magick can reach out and do things that light magick cannot. If you are not comfortable learning these spells, Potter has two other activities you can participate in. First, though, let me explain what we're learning and how it will affect your theory on dark magick." He looked out into the crowd and gestured for another club member to join him.

Astoria Greengrass stepped to the front of the group.

"Dark magick has a...special connection to the elements. With it, you can manipulate the elements -- water, air, fire, earth, metal, spirit -- in ways you cannot with light magick. The spells we are going to learn tonight deal with air. They are dangerous and they can be deadly. Potter has set up the obstacle course for you, if you wish to not learn or participate. Draco, because he already knows these spells, is going to be giving a lecture on the use of dark magick in potions, up in Slytherin's study, if you prefer that," Astoria explained.

George, Neville, Luna, Eve and Millicent joined Draco in the study room for his lecture on dark magick and its relationship to potions. Everyone else stayed for the lesson on dark magick and the element of air.

**

When the lesson was over, Harry, Neville, George, Ginny and Sally-Anne headed back to Gryffindor. While heading back and getting into Gryffindor tower they had to be a lot more careful than any of the others.

With only one Ravenclaw (Luna) and one Hufflepuff (Zach), the Gryffindors were the largest group aside from the Slytherins and they had much, much farther to go.

Luna never seemed to get caught in the castle after curfew. She often said it was because the castle, and her many creature friends, liked her too much to let her get into trouble. Zach, on the other hand, simply had a much safer route since no one but the Hufflepuffs, their head of house and the Headmaster knew where their quarters were.

The Slytherins, though, just tended to cover for each other and they had a much shorter journey from the Chamber to their dormitory. After the first two meetings, they'd discovered a way to get back to the dungeons that didn't require the girl's bathroom or the tunnel to the greenhouses.

And so, it was just the Gryffindors taking their lives (social, in any case) into their hands with every time they came back from the meetings.

Harry was the only one willing to get caught, willing to put everything on the line to get the others safely back. So, he helped cast spells on the others, with George casting some spells the fourth years and one third-year didn't know yet, and then he donned his invisibility cloak and led the way.

He figured that if he got caught, it would be like misdirection and the others could get away. Harry also figured this would help them once they got inside the tower too. He wasn't wrong.

Unfortunately, he was wrong about Ron and Hermione being unable to figure it out even with this very clever misdirection.

*****************************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Club Members:  
> Harry Potter  
> Theo Nott  
> Draco Malfoy  
> Blaise Zabini  
> Pansy Parkinson  
> Eve Parkinson  
> Daphne Greengrass  
> Millicent Bulstrode  
> Luna Lovegood  
> Sally-Anne Perks  
> Zacharias Smith  
> Neville Longbottom  
> Mervyn Wynch  
> Astoria Greengrass  
> Ginny Weasley  
> George Weasley


	18. Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A confrontation with Ron and Hermione.
> 
>  
> 
> Note:  
> We are diverging just a bit from "Most Ancient" and "Ancient" houses. There will be the following:  
> Utmost Ancient and Most Noble  
> Most Ancient and Noble  
> Ancient and Noble  
> Noble (applied to noble families/names that do not have a long history, but are noble)  
> Ancient (pureblood or halfblood families that have been around a long time but are not noble) (may apply to blood-traitors)  
> "House of" will apply to muggleborns and muggleraised, with no nobility and no ancient-status  
> \-- "presumptive" heirs will always be outranked by "apparent" or actual heirs, this changes once the presumptive becomes the apparent heir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments Are Now Moderated On This Story:  
> I won't be approving negative, nasty comments.  
> I have had three people make comparisons between Trump and Harry and I am getting really sick of it. If that's what you think, then you aren't reading. If that's what you think, go away. Please stay away from this story, if you think Harry's a fascist. He isn't. This is the only Dark!Harry story I've ever written. I am trying hard to write a Fourth Year story to its completion, but your negative and outlandish comments are making it hard for me to continue. I don't do this for money, and in fact my family is struggling with having money to have food. I do it because it's in me, to tell these tales. I write because I am a writer and fan-fic is where my passion lies. I write, because it's who I am and my love of writing is here, in HP, in BTVS, in Charmed, in fan-fic. I share these stories, because I love seeing them out there on the web, and so that you may have the chance to read something new. Really negative comments on my work make it tough for me to want to continue. When you, the reader, are determined to misjudge and read things into my AU that simply are not true, I have a hard time wanting to keep doing this. For the last time: this is not canon. This is my interpretation of a way that Harry might be susceptible to turning dark. This is my way of writing these characters /for this one story/. If you can't handle that, if you can't respect it, if you can't be polite in your disagreements.....GTFO.

**January 18th to February 11th**

The next few weeks went by smoothly. 

Harry went to classes, did his homework, attended Mind-Healer sessions with Healer Drummond, had meetings with Cedric about runes, and participated in the _Ancient Studies_ Club meetings as well. Fourth year students had recently learned that air and fire were elements that could be connected, as were earth and water, and the group was eager to apply that to their study of Dark Arts and Dark Magick.

As the weeks went by, and Cedric got better at runes, the spells they learned in the club got harder, and classes felt easier [to Harry], he began to feel confident that the First Task wouldn't be as hard as he'd originally feared. Harry was a powerful wizard. He was mastering spells far above fourth-level, and he knew it. He was turning in exemplary work in his classes, and facing his issues on a personal level with Healer Drummond. Harry felt good, confident, and he intended to keep that going for as long as he could.

He was exceedingly busy, and all too soon it was just three days before the First Task.

**

**February 11th**

After a rather lengthy session with his therapist -- in which they discussed Harry's studying of Dark Arts, among other things -- Harry made his way to an empty classroom on the fourth floor.

At dinner, he'd received a letter, summoning him to the classroom he was about to enter. He wasn't sure why, and although he was curious to find out, trepidation pooled in his stomach. Harry pushed open the door and stepped inside. He was not encouraged by what he found there.

At the front of the room stood Ron, Hermione, Seamus and Dean. At the far corner stood George, Ginny, Sally-Anne and Neville. Theodore stood with his back to the wall, at the very back of the room. As Harry walked over to join him, the door opened again and Blaise sailed through, slamming the door behind him. 

Harry watched as Blaise moved right to Ginny and took her hand.

Harry sighed and moved to stand next to Theo. "What's going on?" he asked, his voice just loud enough for only Theo to hear him.

"No idea," Theo commented. "But it doesn't look good, Harry."

Hermione approached the classroom door and began to ward it, loudly. When she was finished, she went back to standing beside Ron.

"Alright, thank you, everyone, for coming," Hermione began. "We're glad you could make it, and we hope this will be quick and...painless."

"Right," Ron added. "We don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."

"Too late," Theo whispered.

Harry nodded in agreement and then tuned back in to what Ron was saying.

"We don't want to accuse anyone, and we don't want to fight. We're going to say what we have to say and then we'll open the...discussion up to the rest of you, if that's alright," Ron finished.

"This is, for lack of a better term, an intervention," Hermione stated. She looked over at Seamus, who nodded.

"We've noticed a pattern amongst you lot," Seamus said. "An' we've come to figure it out."

"We're not here to get you into trouble," Dean added. "Just to figure out how we can help you, and how we can mend whatever's broken."

"Good Merlin, Seamus, what pattern?" asked Ginny. Her scowl deepened.

"Imogen and Fay noticed you've been leaving at night, Gin," Ron answered. "Not every night, just twice a week or so. They told Fred and George, but I....overheard. I thought, maybe, it was about Zabini, but..well, then Hermione went and followed you and now we know it's not always about Zabini."

"When Parvati noticed you've been leaving too, Sally-Anne, she told me. And I started following you. I'm rather good with the disillusionment charm," Hermione said. "I couldn't follow you the whole way, but I noticed you and Ginny meet down in the common room and go off together. I had to know what was going on."

"You mean you wanted to know," Sally-Anne said crossly. "You could have asked me, or Ginevra. You followed us because you are a nosy, know-it-all and couldn't be bothered to actually ask. I do not understand why you think where I go, or where Ginevra goes, is any of your business, but do, please, carry on with invading my privacy."

"That's not fair!" Hermione exclaimed. "You wouldn't have told me the truth if I asked!"

"How do you know that, Hermione?" Ginny asked. She let go of Blaise's hand and crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

"I...I just do," Hermione stuttered.

"Listen, that's not important," Ron said. "I noticed Neville and Harry leaving at the same time twice a week as well, and Neville leaving on his own once more besides. Now, I know that bit is Neville seeing George, because I...well, I followed. I know that once a week, Harry and Neville attend to their herbology project, which I don't understand, but okay. It's outside, near the forest, and okay, fine. But the third time...well. I don't know where you go, but I know it's a secret. I can tell."

"Now, Ron couldn't follow bot' 'Arry and Neville all the time, so 'e asked me to 'elp," Seamus said. "An' I was only too glad to."

"We all noticed a group of you, Harry, Neville, George, Nott, Ginny, Zabini, Luna and sometimes Fred, aren't having your meals in the Great Hall anymore," Dean said softly. "So, Ron asked me to find out where, and I did. And I'm not saying it's wrong, but...it is a little weird. So, I was willing to listen to Ron about the rest of it, at that point, and come to this...intervention." Dean sighed. "Because something is going on and I don't think it's good."

"We're friends," George said quietly.

"Seriously," Ginny added. "There's nothing wrong with being friends with a diverse group of people."

"Ron, Hermione, why don't you just lay it out for us?" Harry asked. "Tell us what you think is going on -- what do you think we're doing?"

"I don't know if it's just you, or if there's more people involved," Hermione said. "But I think you're meeting in secret, illegally...for some...nefarious purpose."

"And the fact that Nott and Zabini are clearly involved makes me feel really worried and a little sick, honestly, Harry," Ron said.

"How is it obvious?" Blaise asked. "You know I meet with Ginevra a few times a week -- and you should know we are chaperoned by Professor Snape or Professor McGonagall, or Fred and George."

"Well, you guys are always taking meals together, and Neville, Sally-Anne, Harry, Ginny and George are always gone at the same time, so we figured you're all together," Ron answered.

"So...you just assumed," Theo commented. He gave a short, sardonic laugh and then headed to the door. "I have heard enough. No proof, wild speculation...Blaise, Ginevra, George, Neville, Perks, I think we should leave."

"Dean, Seamus, I'd like it if you left too," Harry said quietly.

As the group exited, Theo turned back to Harry and gently squeezed his elbow in a show of support. 

"You don't have to put up with this, Harry," Theo said. "Come with us."

Harry laughed and then shook his head. "No, it's okay. Go," he replied.

When the door shut behind them, Harry added his own wards to the classroom and then turned to face Ron and Hermione.

He cast a quick _scourgify_ on one of the desks in the middle of the room and sat atop it. "Alright. Why don't one of you tell me what's going on," he said calmly.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed. "One. Please explain why you felt it was your right to _follow any of your supposed friends around at night_. Two. Explain what it is you think we're up to. Three. Please tell me what your overall concern is with what you think we're up to," he explained.

"We put things together, Harry. With the things you've been saying, the people you've been hanging out with, and the fact that you're gone. It's like we said...you're having secret meetings with Slytherins and people who share your warped view!" Hermione exclaimed.

Ron winced. 

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What have I been saying?" he asked, dismissing the rest of what she'd said until later.

"You wish the muggle world didn't exist! Muggles don't have magick, so wizards are better! God, Harry!" Hermione argued.

Harry sighed. "I never said muggles or the muggle world shouldn't exist. I am not, nor have I ever been a supporter of the Dark Lord," he said.

Ron recoiled. "You-you...Harry!"

"Names have power," was Harry's only explanation.

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself!" Hermione yelled.

"Do you never think for yourself?" Harry asked quietly. "That may be true, Hermione, but, according to _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Lord_ he placed a charm on his name which would ensure injury, destruction, capture or death to anyone who dared speak it." He looked at her imploringly. "I can't afford that. I can't afford to be careless."

"He's dead! He's not after you! When did you become this paranoid?" Hermione asked.

"When I went through my first three years in the magickal world and had no peace. No space to learn what I needed to learn. No room to breathe, with awful things happening right and left," Harry said. "I do not think magickal beings and people are _better_ than muggles, Hermione."

"Different, you said different," Ron said. "But you meant better."

"And you're inside my mind now, are you Ron?" Harry asked angrily.

"N-no," Ron stuttered as he turned a brilliant shade of red. "But, Harry, you've been really...unreasonable...about _making_ muggle-borns conform to the classical, doctrinal system. The traditionalism, pureblood rot. Really. It's been...hard to take. Who even are you right now?"

Harry sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He'd been going without his glasses during the day since the summer -- muggle contact lenses worked perfectly, and he wore his glasses only at night. 

"Alright. I...I am sorry about that. I went a bit overboard, and into the exact extreme I was trying to stay away from. And I am sorry about that. I can't take back having said things like that, all I can do is apologize, tell you I was simply overwhelmed and confused and move on," Harry said.

"So, you've changed your mind then? The...traditional etiquette and classical beliefs...that archaic system...it isn't the be-all and end-all of your world anymore?" Hermione asked. Her voice was small, but hopeful.

"Not exactly, Hermione. I am sorry for going to such an extreme that you thought, for even an instant, that I wanted the world to be free of muggles or muggle-borns, or anything like that. I don't feel that way. But, I do want to engage in the classical belief system. I _am_ a traditionalist. I'm sorry if that upsets or disappoints you, but it's who I am. I find comfort in our methods and traditions. In the pomp and ritual of the magickal world," Harry explained.

"Adapting a bit to the muggle world wouldn't be bad for the magickal world, Harry," Hermione said softly. "I mean, those pureblooded bigots don't even know what electricity is."

"I think it would be beneficial if the magickal world _understood_ the muggle world, but I don't think adapting to it is necessary. We have magick, Hermione!" Harry argued.

"We're getting nowhere," Ron complained. "What is it that you've been doing at night with our group of friends?"

"Why did you guys need to do this now? Three days from the First Task? That's where my energy needs to be. I'd really rather survive the tournament," Harry said, avoiding the question at hand.

"Answer the question, Harry," Hermione said.

Harry sighed. "George, Ginny, Sally-Anne, Neville and I are part of a regular study group. We meet at night, because it's the only time we all have. Blaise and Theo sometimes join us. Luna, Fred and Eve sometimes come along too," he said. It wasn't strictly a lie.

Ron paled. "Really?"

Harry nodded.

"Why don't you eat with us anymore?" Hermione asked.

"Things are kind of a complicated madhouse with me lately. I have masses of homework every night. The tournament. Remus and Sirius set up mind-healer appointments for me. This study group. All kinds of things. Eating in the kitchens is quieter and easier. You are welcome to join us," Harry said.

Ron shook his head. "I'm not eating with those slimy Slytherins. Especially not that Zabini guy. He and Ginny...betrothed. I just...I don't get why she'd want that."

Harry rubbed his temples briefly. "She is the last daughter of an Ancient house which isn't noble. She is the last child among a horde of children. She is the last child in a household with a serious lack of funds. She wanted the stability a good marriage would provide, but moreover, she wanted the stability and prestige a formal Courtship provides," he explained slowly.

"I...I thought our being poor didn't bother you, Harry," Ron said quietly. His voice was sad.

"I never really think about it, Ron. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. But, it does bother Ginny. She doesn't have any real chance at making a good life for herself and playing professional Quidditch unless she marries well. The fact that your brothers finally took the lordships available to them seriously, doesn't help Ginny - she's not an heir. When you're first starting out, Quidditch doesn't pay much. She likes Blaise a lot, but she also doesn't want to end up as destitute as your family has been," Harry said. "I've said more than I should have, you should really talk to Gin."

"She's ashamed of our parents?" Ron asked. His face began to turn red.

"Of course not, Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed.

"No. She's not. She just wants more for herself. She wants to be supported and have a stable life, regardless of her chosen profession, and she wants her own children to do better -- to have more, talk to her about it, Ron," Harry said.

"We've gotten off-topic," Hermione complained. "Where have you been going at night, even if you are meeting in a study group?"

"Room of Requirement," Harry said. "And when it's not a study group meeting...it's just me, spending time with Theo. Sometimes it's just a friends' gathering with Theo, Luna, a few others."

"Would the study group help Ron and me?" Hermione asked.

"Probably, but, well....Eve and Theo and Blaise join us. So...you don't like Slytherins, as a rule. And the other, well, we often talk about the classical doctrinal belief system, and about traditionalism and how it's affecting our lives and what events and holidays are coming up, things like that," Harry explained.

"So we really wouldn't like it," Ron said.

"Nope," Harry confirmed.

"Alright," Hermione allowed. "And so what about where you were over the holidays?"

"I was with Theo and his dad," Harry said.

"Oh. I guess....I guess you're changing a lot, yeah?" Ron asked.

"I'm growing up, developing other relationships, applying myself to my studies..." Harry responded.

"And you're teaching Cedric about runes?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "Now...do you two still think I put my name down for the trials and put my name in the Goblet?"

Ron turned red.

Hermione shuffled her feet.

Neither of them would look Harry in the eye. He sighed and got up from the desk.

"Well, then, this conversation is over. There's no need to keep you up-to-date about my life, my friends or my habits if you still think I signed up for this bloody Merlin-forsaken Tournament!" Harry exclaimed as he headed for the door.

"We're your friends Harry! We just don't understand who you are anymore!" Hermione cried.

Harry dismantled the wards with a few quick wand movements. "Right," he said. "Because my friends abandon me and don't believe in me whenever it's convenient for them," he said acidly.

He looked over his shoulder at them one last time before he disappeared through the door and down the hallway.

Ron sighed and sat on top of the desk. "Well, that went well," he said glumly.

"He's still hiding something," Hermione said.

Ron nodded. "Probably. But...he's got a point, yeah?"

Hermione glowered at him.

 

******************************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While Harry does apologize in this chapter for his previous behaviour, he is still going in a dark direction. This is a Dark!Harry story. It's tagged, and I have said so multiple times. If you are reading, please try to understand that. Harry isn't anti-muggle. He simply wants some respect for magickal traditions and all-magickal families too. At the core, he wants magickal children to be able to be involved in the magickal world before the age of eleven, and he wants it to be respected if the classical, doctrinal beliefs are practiced. In the end, he doesn't want to force those beliefs on anyone. In the end, he doesn't want people to have to conform. But, he does want it respected by others when people choose to be traditional. He wants muggle-born, halfbloods, muggle-raised and purebloods to have the choice -- by being educated -- about which path they follow. He'd prefer if nobody chose prejudice over truth, etc.


	19. The First Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rune Battle and the After Party.
> 
>  
> 
> *some runes and rune alphabets were made up by me in the making of this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Scores Before Task One:
> 
> Harry Potter  
> Trial One - 82/100  
> Trial Two - 70/75  
> Trial Three - 60/50  
> = 212/225
> 
> Cedric Diggory  
> 92/100  
> 72/75  
> 45/50  
> = 209/225
> 
> Viktor Krum  
> 80/100  
> 72/75  
> 40/50  
> = 192/225
> 
> Mila Gresage  
> 100/100  
> 70/75  
> 35/50  
> = 205/225
> 
> Adelaide McGee  
> 90/100  
> 65/75  
> 48/50  
> = 203/225
> 
> Richard Watts  
> 100/100  
> 70/75  
> 40/50  
> = 210/225

The platform for the Rune Battle was suspended in mid-air, in the center of the Quidditch pitch, raised high enough off the ground so that the people sitting in the stands could look down on the platform and see what was going on. Additionally, there were large mirrors staged around the platform to give the audience different views of the battles.

Four large grids, three tiles across and four tiles down, dominated the middle of the platform. The top two rows would be where one team played their runes, the bottom two rows would belong to the other team. The goal, in its simplest form, was for one team to break the other team's runes.

The stands were full of students, faculty, friends and family members.

Harry had already spotted the entire Weasley family, Theo and his father (Lord Nott), as well as Remus, Sirius, Tonks and Andromeda.

"My parents are here, over in the Hufflepuff stands, Harry," Cedric said quietly. 

Harry nodded. "My guardians, too."

"You don't sound too happy about that, is everything alright?" Cedric inquired.

Harry gave a short laugh. "They're both a bit angry with me at the moment, but, no, it's fine. A few other people showed up for me as well, I think."

At that moment, Mr. Bagman strode onto the stage. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, witches, wizards and the magickal community at large to the First Task of the Tri Wizard Tournament!" he shouted to the crowd.

He then turned to look at the collected teams.

"As you may be aware, Mr. Potter and Mr. Diggory have the highest scores. Today they are Team Gryffinpuff, and they will be competing as a team against our other two teams. The first rune battle will be Team Gryffinpuff against Team Olympus -- which is Adelaide McGee and Richard Watts. The next battle will be Team Olympus against Team Royals, which is Lord Viktor Krum and Lady Mila Gresage," Mr. Bagman explained. "Finally, Team Gryffinpuff will battle Team Royals."

Mr. Bagman went back to his seat at the edge of the platform, and Sir Crouch stood up.

"The rules are as follows," Sir Crouch said. "No team member may use runes or magick of any kind on any other team member, aside from the initial spells to let you manipulate and create the runes. No runes which would cause injury, harm or death to any living being. And finally, all rune alphabets are allowed, this includes obscure alphabets or languages not typically taught. The only magick you will be using is on the runes themselves -- to create and manipulate the runes. All magick is allowed, all runes are allowed -- there will be no exceptions to the 'beings rule.' If you harm another player or being during the task, you will automatically receive a zero for your score, for your team."

Mr. Bagman cleared his throat and said, "Two hundred points are available to you today. What the team wins will apply to both members of the team. One-hundred points per battle. Your scores and some information about the next task will be available after the First Task is over and the audience has left the stands."

"Teams Gryffinpuff and Olympus, please approach the first grid -- one team on one side, the other on the other side, if you please. We will wait three minutes for both teams to cast the appropriate spells on each other, and then three minutes for Team Gryffinpuff to choose which rune they will start with in the far-left, topmost tile. When the whistle goes off, you must start!" Headmaster Dumbledore exclaimed.

Harry and Cedric approached the grid they'd been assigned and then Harry directed his wand at Cedric's hands.

"Do you remember the spells?" he asked.

Cedric nodded.

Harry gave a brief smile and then directed his wand in a circular motion over Cedric's hands and arms while saying "Animus runica, animus runica tangento." He said the charm three times, and each time around with his wand, Cedric's hands and arms lit up with a different colour -- green, gold and then, finally, blue.

Cedric repeated the process on Harry, and then they turned to the board.

Under his breath, Harry whispered, "I'm going to cast only in Parseltongue. It's stronger, no one else knows it. Can you cast in the traditional alphabet that we agreed was your strongest?"

At Cedric's nod, Harry continued. "Okay. Then, we'll start with the Elder Futhark alphabet for you, you'll create the protection rune, but do so big enough inside the tile that I can draw the Parseltongue rune for protection inside it. We'll start with defensive moves, and move to offensive tactics if we have to." Harry looked at the grid in front of him for a moment before continuing. "At the end, I am going to go with Estwile's Demonic Rune Alphabet -- specifically, the rune for Barricade. I think that'll be strong enough to overcome any of our runes that get broken, and I'll make it big enough for you to add the fine details of the more traditional alphabets. Okay?"

"Sounds like a good plan, Harry," Cedric said. 

The whistle went off and the game was on.

Team Olympus had an interesting take on runes, and Harry was surprised that he'd never really seen it before. They utilized runes from ancient Egypt and ancient Greece -- markings often created in elemental magick and in magic for worshiping the gods.

Their runes were pretty -- strewn with vines, fruits, waves and symbols of fire. It was enchanting watching them work together to create their art, but that didn't stop Harry and Cedric from trouncing them thoroughly.

In the end, out of the six runes that Harry and Cedric had drawn and manipulated, only two were broken. Adelaide and Richard weren't as lucky -- or, Harry supposed, as strong. Four out of six of their runes were broken by the work done by Harry and Cedric.

There was a short break once their battle was done, and then Team Olympus moved to the next grid to battle Team Royals.

Harry and Cedric were led off to a small tent on a far corner of the platform to wait -- which is where Team Royals had waited during the first rune battle. The tent had two couches and a small table inside it. As soon as they sat down, a Hogwarts' House-Elf appeared.

"What can Kip be getting for Team Gryffinpuff?" Kip squeaked.

"Water," Harry replied. "And some fruit, please."

"Water would be great, Kip, and I'd like some cubes of cheese," Cedric requested.

A moment later their snack appeared on the small table in front of them and they ate to the sound of the crowd clapping, roaring and exclaiming.

***

When it was time for the next battle, Team Royals against Team Gryffinpuff, Harry and Cedric made their way back out to the grid.

Adelaide passed them on their way, looking sweaty and out-of-breath. "Brutal," she said quietly. "But you two...you really played a good game."

"They know how to weaponize runes against other runes, it was....scary," Richard added.

As Richard and Adelaide went to rest, Harry and Cedric joined Viktor and Mila at the final rune battle of the task.

They took their spots, and communicated quietly for a few minutes.

"I think they'll use mostly Scandinavian and Germanic runes, possibly even the Old Norse Languages," Harry whispered. "So, I'm going to counter with a combination of Parseltongue and Dragonalic, while borrowing some forms from Estwile's. I think that'll break almost anything. I want you to come in with Younger Futhark and Dalecarlian. Mix it up. Don't rely on any one rune. Trade up the language you're casting or drawing in, depending on what you think needs to be added to make our tile the strongest."

"Don't you think that's a bit much?" Cedric asked. "I mean, Krum and Gresage may know a lot, and they may have...it might seem like they scared McGee and Watts, but...don't you think Snake-Language and Dragon-Language combined with Estwile's is a little bit of overkill?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I really don't. Breaking runes is hard, that's why this is a Task. We need to come at this last battle with everything we've got."

And they did.

***

Afterwards, when the audience had left and the platform had been lowered; Harry, Cedric, Viktor, Mila, Adelaide and Richard stood with Sir Crouch and Mr. Bagman on the empty Quidditch pitch.

The cool grass beneath Harry's feet felt wonderful. All he wanted was to head up to Gryffindor tower and take a long, cold shower.

"The First Task is over," Sir Crouch began. "The Second Task will take place Twenty-fourth, April. You will find out more about it in a week's time." He nodded to the players and then left the pitch.

"You all scored really well. Five points was taken off for every rune that got broken, per-game," Mr. Bagman explained. "So, our top-scorer is Team Gryffinpuff, obviously, with Team Royals taking second place."

"What are the actual numbers, please?" Adelaide asked.

Mr. Bagman checked a small notebook and then nodded. "Yes, yes. Adelaide McGee and Richard Watts, against Gryffinpuff you had four runes broken 80 points for that round, against Royals you had all six runes broken, 70 points for that round. So, a total of one-hundred-fifty points out of two-hundred," he said.

"Lady Gresage and myself?" Viktor Krum asked.

Mr. Bagman blinked slowly for a moment before checking. "You had no runes broken against Team Olympus, so, 100 points for that round, but you had five runes broken for the round against Team Gryffinpuff, 75 points for that round. One-hundred-seventy-five points out of two-hundred."

"And before you ask, Mr. Potter and Mr. Diggory, you had two runes broken against Team Olympus, so 90 points for that round. And you had one rune broken against Team Royals, so 95 points for that round. One-hundred-eighty-five points out of two-hundred," Mr. Bagman finished. "Now, off you go."

Harry raced away as soon as he was told he could. He wanted a shower and a dark, quiet room. He was absolutely exhausted.

He didn't stay to congratulate the other contestants, or to get invites to various parties, nor did he go looking for Remus and Sirius.

***

The After-Party was in full swing up in Gryffindor Tower.

There was music, talking, laughing, dancing, singing, food and drinks -- for nearly everyone in the vast common room. The only people who seemed to not be enjoying themselves were Ron and Hermione.

Ron sat on one of the couches, pulled away from the throng of people, and Hermione stood, leaning against the wall nearby him.

Harry avoided them both on the way inside. He nodded to groups of people and assured them he'd be right down, before making his escape into the dormitory.

In the fourth-year boys-dorm, Harry grabbed a pair of black jeans, a gray t-shirt and a dark-gray zip-up hoodie sweatshirt. He took his kit into the bathroom and took a long, lukewarm shower.

When he was dry and dressed and he'd finger-combed his hair, he put on black socks and his black trainers.

Once he was back downstairs he piled a plate high with the available finger-foods (mini quiche, tiny onion and thyme tarts, cucumber and carrot spears with hummus, crisps) and snagged a cold bottle of Butterbeer. As he ate, he glanced around.

Harry was surprised to find that it wasn't just Gryffindors at the party.

Luna sat in an arm chair surrounded by Padma, Parvati and Fay. Fred, George, Neville and Lee were standing in a circle talking and laughing. In a corner, Theo and Blaise sat with their backs to the wall while Ginny stood, talking animatedly at them. Sally-Anne and Eve sat talking quietly near the fireplace. Dean and Seamus stood with Tony, Emma and Lavender, singing along to the music. The only house that wasn't represented was Hufflepuff, but Harry figured that made sense -- surely, they were all celebrating with Cedric.

As Harry made his way over to Theo, Blaise and Ginny he saw other groups of Gryffindors dancing and talking -- all of various age groups. It seemed that the Tri Wizard Tournament really was bringing them all together.

Harry held his plate out to Theo, who took a cube of cheese and popped it into his mouth. He then proceeded to take a small sampling of everything on Harry's plate.

Harry sipped his Butterbeer and listened to the conversations around him while he waited for Theo to finish.

"So, the food's not been jinxed," Theo said. "Good to know."

When Theo rose to get plates for himself and Blaise, Harry slipped away. He had one thing he needed to do before he could fully enjoy the party.

***

Approaching Ron and Hermione was hard, but necessary.

Ron sat with his head in his hands. Hermione stood against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest, scowling at the floor.

Harry sat down next to Ron.

"Well?" Harry asked.

Ron looked up, his face miserable. "Harry, mate...I am so sorry," he said softly.

Harry sighed. "For?"

"For following you around. For getting others to follow you and your friends. For not believing you. For not believing in you," Ron rambled.

Harry nodded. "Can we agree that stalking me and my friends is wrong and creepy and you won't do it again?" he asked as he looked between Ron and Hermione.

Hermione made a huffing sound and sat down on the coffee table in front of them. "I'll agree the stalking was wrong, yes. But if you don't tell us things, how are we supposed to find out?"

"I dunno, 'Mione, you could have just asked. Or, better yet, wait until I'm ready to tell you," Harry replied.

"I know you're still up to something. Something with the Slytherins and Merlin knows who else," Hermione said crossly.

"Yeah, I am," Harry responded. "But I don't have to tell you. I have other friends. It's okay that I have other friends and activities that don't include you."

"We're your best friends, Harry! You should be able to tell us what's going on!" Hermione insisted.

Ron held up his hands in a making-peace type of gesture. "Cool it!" he exclaimed. He turned to grip Harry's wrists. "Listen, I won't be doing any of that anymore. I'm going to trust that you're doing what you have to and what feels right to you. I don't understand your friendships with Nott and Zabini and Parkinson. I don't understand your support of George and Neville or Ginny and Zabini. I may never get it, but.....I don't have to! I've missed you, and I'm ready to move on."

Harry smiled and then gently tugged his wrists out of Ron's hands. He gently squeezed Ron's shoulders in a show of support and then sat back. "Do you still believe I put my name down?" he asked.

Eyes wide with fear and something Harry couldn't identify, Ron shook his head. "No. I believe you, Harry. I'm sorry I've made things so tough for you."

"Alright. Well. I think we can start mending our friendship, then, if that's what you want," Harry replied.

"It is. I think......I think with the tournament and your new friends...I was jealous and also..afraid of losing you. The you I know. And I think, yeah, you've changed and you've grown up....matured....and you're different, now...but that doesn't mean you're not still....you know.....my Harry too," Ron said as his face and ears blushed red.

Harry laughed. "Let's begin repairing the damage, then." He looked around the room. "I'm going to re-join the party, now. You two should have fun too," he said.

As Harry rejoined the party, first going to Fred and George to thank them for putting it on, Ron wandered over to where Lavender was sitting.

Hermione stayed seated on the coffee-table, a look of longing on her face, but anger in her eyes.

*****************************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a deleted scene for this chapter where the team members get to the platform by broom, and the readers find out that broom-riding isn't taught on the west coast of the united states and so the Weatherly school students have no idea how to ride a broom, and make their way awkwardly to the platform by having Cedric and Krum take them.  
> Quidditch doesn't exist on the west coast of the USA, in this AU world. :) Adelaide and Richard aren't even aware of what Quidditch is, aside from it's a sport in magickal Europe.


	20. March Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and the rest of the Champions prepare for the Second Task.  
> Harry meets with his friends.

**March**

February had passed quickly with classes, club meetings, study group sessions and homework.

Winter was in its last weeks and Harry and the rest of the Champions were grateful for that as they met in an empty, snow-covered field just outside of Hogsmeade.

Headmaster Dumbledore, Ludo Bagman, Sir Crouch, Auror Moody and three people Harry had never seen before joined them on the field.

"There has been a...complication with the second task," Mr. Bagman began. "And we have all come here today to fix it, as our departments hadn't realized it was an issue, and by doing this today, we do spoil a bit of the task for you, but that's fine."

"Champions," Sir Crouch said. "We are pleased to introduce your instructors for the day. Lady Olivia Pons, Sir Ralph Henricks and Henry Anderson. They are all neutral instructors and are very accomplished in defensive magicks. They will be showing you three charms or spells that you will need for the second task. All of which revolve around the Patronus charm."

"In the case of Mr. Potter, Miss McGee and Mr. Watts, you do not know the Patronus charm," Mr. Bagman said. "So, you'll be learning it all new, and then learning the other two charms as well. For Mr. Diggory, Mr. Krum and Miss Gresage, it will be a review of the charm, as well as making sure you can perform the other two -- as you will need them for the second task."

"Mr. Potter _can_ perform the Patronus charm," Headmaster Dumbledore stated.

"Harry, you can produce a fully corporeal Patronus?" Cedric asked.

Harry nodded.

"Ha! Not until we've seen it," Auror Moody growled.

"In any case," Lady Pons said softly. "We're here to teach, and be a neutral party to do so. So, if the rest of you, aside from Auror Moody, could please leave the field?"

"That is correct," Sir Crouch said. "Mr. Bagman, Headmaster Dumbledore and I will be leaving the field. Mr. Anderson will be teaching Miss McGee and Mr. Watts, as he is also a United States wizard, and understands the way they practice magick more fully. We understand that the charm will be a bit different for you. Lady Pons, you will be teaching Mr. Potter and Heir Diggory. Lastly, but certainly not least, Sir Henricks will instruct Lady Gresage and Lord Krum."

With that, the elders that the champions knew, except for Auror Moody, apparated away from the field.

"Glad they're finally gone," Lady Pons said unkindly. "You lot, Potter, Heir Diggory, follow me!"

She led them off to the left side of the field, quite a long way from the other two sets.

"Now, the incantation for the Patronus charm is _Expecto Patronum_ , and in order to cast it, you must be quite focused on a very happy memory or a very happy thought, or have just taken a draft of the potion for enchanted happiness, which I do not recommend," Lady Pons instructed.

"Today, we will not be practicing the other two spells with your patroni. You will both be practicing on my patronus. As such, I expect you to both be highly respectful of not only my casting, me as an instructor, but also of my patronus. A patronus is an incredibly personal thing. The judges and those in charge of the tournament do not want your patroni to be revealed to the rest of the schools or champions until the day of the task, so I suggest you work on these charms, with your own patronus, in private...even, I'd go so far as to say, in complete secrecy," she continued.

"Mr. Potter, I will be taking you aside, under and within privacy charms, to assess whether you actually can produce a corporeal patronus. Heir Diggory, do I need to worry about you?" Lady Pons asked. 

"No, Lady Pons, no need to be worried," Cedric replied quite formally. 

Lady Pons nodded and they moved on. 

_***_

"It took _hours_ ," Harry complained to his friends as they sat around a fireplace in the Room of Requirement.

"Just to learn the Patronus charm?" Sally-Anne asked.

"No, we also had to learn how to communicate with our Patronus, and we had to learn the charm that gives them a...well, some, personality of their own," Harry explained.

"And you will need this for the Second task?" Theo asked.

Harry nodded glumly. "It wasn't that hard, but, honestly...taking us out to a muddy, snowy field to learn what could have been learned in a classroom, and taking all day to do so?" 

"You should be grateful the rules were relaxed a bit to help you, to show you," said Blaise.

"Besides, you can already conjure a patronus," Ginny said.

"The Americans couldn't. We all had to stay until they learned it, and the rest of us were behind privacy shields just....waiting," Harry said.

"You sound a little like a spoilt child, I mean, it was hours of study with defense masters, surely that was worth it?" Eve asked quietly.

"Yeah, it would have been nice if I could have asked Lady Pons about other spells and enchantments. I'm sorry I'm complaining and carrying on. I'm tired," Harry explained.

"Well, we should all be getting some rest anyway," Luna said. "We do have classes in the morning, and the task is still more than a month away."

"Luna's right," Neville commented. "I'm sorry it was kind of a waste of a day, though, Harry."

Harry smiled gently and then nodded. "Yeah, go on, guys. We'll see each other in classes tomorrow."

"Club meeting next week, right?" asked George.

When Harry just nodded, the group began to file out.

***

"Are you certain you wish to include Ronald, the next time we all hang out?" Theo asked as he and Harry walked down the hallway, towards the entrance to the kitchens.

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I mean..."

"Yes," Theo corrected.

Harry laughed. "Yes. I think it would be good for him. See different sides of it...I mean, George and Ginny hang out with us, and Fred comes sometimes too....that's his family, and maybe it would help him see that it's not such a bad thing....traditionalism."

Theo nodded and then leaned forward to tickle the pear to get into the kitchens. 

Harry followed him through the opening.

"And you will be alright? For the second task?" Theo asked concernedly.

"Yes, it's got something to do with our patroni, so I think I'll be okay...unless it's fighting a lot of Dementors, but even then...should be okay," Harry replied.

"I hardly doubt you will be fighting Dementors, Harry," Theo said as Dobby approached them and then sat down in their usual spot.

"What can Dobby be getting Masters Harry and Theodore?" Dobby asked in his loud, high-pitched squeak.

"Sandwiches and some crisps, please," Theo responded.

"I'd like hot chocolate and some water too, please, Dobby," Harry said. He was tired and hungry and still cold from the day. He was also extremely grateful he'd gotten his homework completed (for Monday and Tuesday anyway) yesterday, because if he'd thought he'd have time today, he was mistaken.

"Butterbeer, for me," Theo added. 

After Dobby had gotten their food and gone back to his other duties, Theo leaned forward just a little. "Do you think it might be time for the more dangerous spells and potions during club time?" he asked quietly.

Harry looked up from his sandwich. He finished chewing and swallowing, before responding. "I was hoping to wait until next school year to do anything more dangerous than the elemental spells. We've already covered air and earth. Water is up next, and then fire. I figured if we did all that by the end of the school year, we'd all be in better positions to do....more. And, also, I....I think we'll lose our light...or lighter club members when we venture into darker territory and there are a few other things I want them to be able to learn."

Theo nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. I apologize. I hadn't realized you had thought it out so carefully and so clearly."

Harry grinned. "I have many skills," he replied.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Mr. Potter," came Theo's reponse, and they both laughed.

*******************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just getting us going on this one again. New chapters will be labeled "new", because of the chapters after them.


	21. March Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Hermione talk before breakfast one morning.  
> Short chapter

With the rest of the Gryffindors down at breakfast, but having kept a careful watch on the stairs, Hermione let herself into the Fourth Year Boys' Dormitory.

Harry was sitting on his bed, a sheaf of papers and a couple of books spread out before him while he took notes in a muggle notebook. He looked up as she approached him. 

He sighed and turned towards Hermione. "Something you needed to talk about?" he asked, rather grimly.

"Oh Harry, please don't be like that," came her reply.

Harry shrugged and put his books and papers away in his trunk, locking it with a series of charms, before giving her his full attention. "What is it?" he said.

"I need to understand _why_ you're practicing dark magick," Hermione responded calmly.

"Why do you think I am?" Harry asked. His voice was slow and reasonable.

"Please, Harry, I'm not stupid. I know the signs. I've read all about them. Add in your new, traditionalist bent and the fact that it seems like you intend to take up the Potter and Peverell Lordships, and, well...it doesn't leave many other options," she replied.

"I am entitled to both Lordships, as well as both Wizengamot seats, Hermione. That doesn't mean I'm practicing dark arts. Additionally, being a traditionalist isn't wrong, frowned upon, or dark," Harry argued.

"No, I suppose it's not -- inherently. But, you have an enormous amount of power. And you are practicing some dark arts, I know because both Ginny and Neville are reading some questionable material from a club they both belong to -- a club I've never heard of, and they aren't as careful with it as you and George and Luna and Sally-Anne are," Hermione said.

"How does having an enormous amount of power and our friends reading some questionable material add up to me practicing dark arts?" Harry asked.

Hermione crossed her arms and gave an angry sort of growling sound. "Harry Potter, you stop this right now!" she cried. "You know I'm right, now just tell me about it! Tell me what's going on. I promise, I swear I won't tell anyone!"

Harry sighed. "Promise on your magick that nothing I tell you, that nothing I say will go beyond the two of us, Hermione. In any way."

Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed, but then nodded. "I promise, on my magick. I won't tell anyone. It will stay entirely between you and me, I won't even disclose to Ron." 

When Hermione blushed, Harry raised an eyebrow at her.

"How long have you two been dating?" he asked quietly.

Hermione shrugged. "A few months. It's not serious. We...we're not ready for anything more than the casual going around together that we've been doing, not that it is any of your business, Harry. Ron would have told you if he'd wanted you to know." She huffed. "Now, quit deflecting and tell me the truth."

"You understand what promising on your magick means?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. "If I tell, or imply, or indicate what you've told me, I'll be going back on my magickal word. It may not strip me of my magick, but I could develop the inability to practice any magick that doesn't need or include my wand. Also, I could be stripped of my magick entirely. Magick, itself, decides the punishment for going back on my word. Now, tell me!"

It was Harry's turn to nod. "Alright. I have been practicing dark arts and dark magick, with a group of like-minded students, some of who are of age and some who are not. We meet once a week for demonstrations, potions, theory, practice and duelling," he confessed.

"And Ginny, Neville, Luna, George and Sally-Anne are part of it?" Hermione asked, her voice was bordering on horrified.

Harry shook his head. "I can't tell you who is in the group. I practice dark arts, but I am not going around hurting people. I'm utilizing what I need to, to get stronger and to know as much defensive magick as possible, for what's coming," he replied.

"There's nothing coming, Harry," Hermione insisted.

"The Dark Lord will rise again. You know that, 'Mione. You do," Harry said.

Hermione shuddered. "Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself, Harry! Call Lord Voldemort by his name, Professor Dumbledore does!" she shouted.

Harry barely resisted rolling his eyes. "I need to get something to eat, and so do you. We have a long day of classes, and I have other things to do besides. I imagine you do as well."

"Only Death Eaters and dark wizards call him that!" she replied.

"That's not remotely true. You are parroting the Headmaster, Hermione. I had thought you were smarter than that," Harry responded.

"Oh! I can't stand you lately, did you know that?" Hermione said and then she stomped her feet.

"What are you, five?" came Harry's reply as he swept necessary items, books and papers into his book-bag. "I'm going down to the great hall for what remains of breakfast. You should too. We've talked about this before, but you should really do that research on taboo magick. That's why no one uses his name. It isn't out of fear of his name, Hermione. It's out of fear and knowledge of what will happen when it's used. I can't take those kinds of chances. I just can't. I'm important to the coming war, regardless of if I save people or not. There's a prophecy. Sirius told me about it. It involves me and the dark lord -- and that's it. So. Really. Do find it somewhere in your very smart brain to grow up a bit. Not everything is as it seems."

"Merlin, Harry, you even sound like the Slytherins. If you were just going to go dark, why did you ask to be put in Gryffindor?" Hermione asked sadly.

"The world is not divided up into Gryffindors, Slytherins, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, Hermione. The world is a much more complex place, and I have been through so much -- in only fourteen years. Some might say too much. My answer, right now, is to continue to study as much magick as I possibly can. To be as prepared as I can. I don't know if I'm dark or not. We don't get tested for our sway until we're fifteen - you know that. But, I can say that I am no longer afraid of the darkness. I'm sorry if you can't accept that. It seems that Ron can. I don't want to be on the other side of this, from you. I don't. But I will continue to do what I have to do," Harry replied.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. What would Professor Dumbledore say about any of this?" Hermione said.

"Luckily, you can't tell him," Harry said. "Look, I don't want it to go this way. I don't. But, if you can't accept me for who I am, well, then...we can't be friends anymore."

"I never said I couldn't accept you. I didn't say we couldn't be friends!" Hermione exclaimed. 

Harry shook his head. "But I did. Accept me. Put aside your fears and prejudice. Please. At least try. And then, maybe, we can still be close."

Tears dripped down Hermione's face. "I don't think I can," she whispered.

"Well, then this is where we part ways. If you have other questions for me, I'd prefer if we could speak somewhere else, in future, rather than in my dorm room," said Harry.

"Just because your relatives abused you, doesn't mean that all muggles are bad or that me, and muggle-borns like me, should have to follow the traditionalism that you and Malfoy and the Slytherins are so fond of, Harry! Please see reason! This is just wrong!"

"That was uncalled for," Harry said darkly. "My relatives are horrible, awful people. Of course all muggles aren't. Just as all wizards aren't like the Dark Lord. I do not think muggles or the muggle world is invaluable. Of course it has value. Traditionalism has value, Hermione. For so smart a witch, I can't fathom how you won't understand that. I am done speaking about that with you. You don't ever seem to listen, or to think for yourself."

"I'm listening, Harry. I just don't like or believe what I've heard, and I can't believe Ron is making amends with you," she replied spitefully.

"I won't make him choose between us. He's the first friend I ever made," Harry responded.

"You can't be dark, Harry...you're the saviour," Hermione said quietly.

Harry laughed, but there was no humour in it. "I'm not anyone's saviour, Hermione. I'm just trying to survive," he said as he grabbed his bag and left the room.

Hermione sank down onto Harry's bed and cried.

******************

TBC

 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are there any questions anyone has about this fic/these characters that they want answered in a chapter?  
> Let me know in the comments.


	22. March Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next club meeting.  
> And a bit about classes.
> 
> *AHEM, AHEM*  
> This story is extremely AU. Get used to it. :)  
> Please, stop making me remind you to read the tags and the author's notes. Thanks.

"She's being a hypocrite," Ginny pointed out as she held out her palm, a perfect sphere of water floated just above her open hand. 

Harry sighed. "I realize that, Gin, but there's nothing I can do about it."

She grinned and juggled the sphere between both hands for a moment. "I knew I could do it!" she exclaimed.

"That is excellent, Ginevra," Blaise commented. He was struggling to get water to stay where he wanted it to, and it was frustrating.

The club members stood around the chamber in small groups, with varying degrees of success in manipulating water among them.

"I had a lot more luck with earth," Neville called from across the room, where he stood with George and Luna.

"You'll get it, Neville," Harry said kindly. He turned back to Ginny. "I want to re-focus on the magick, but I do get what you're saying. She _is_ being a hypocrite. And I would like her to understand, ideally, but it's just not going to happen."

"We're all going to lose her," Ginny commented. "Do....do you think we'll lose Ron as well?"

"I'm not sure, about Ron, but...Hermione has always seen the world as black and white. She has been on the Headmaster's side since I met her -- even though she'd only read about him. She doesn't know his full history. No one does. But, the things Malfoy and Blaise and Theo have told us? That's enough for me to question why I had such absolute faith in him. Hermione never questions what good magick is, or what light magick is. And she only sees the dark as one thing - evil," Harry said.

"It is much more complex than that," Blaise added.

"We know that calling the elements isn't dark magick," Sally-Anne commented.

"However, manipulating the elements can be considered dark arts or dark magick, depending on what you are manipulating them for," Theo said.

"That's certainly true," Harry said.

"We're moving onto Fire next week, right, Harry?" Zach asked as he came over from where he'd been practicing with Mervyn and Eve.

Harry nodded. "Yes, and it'll be a longer meeting. We'll be meeting next Sunday, so make sure you all have good alibis for your friends -- like always. We'll be meeting at nine, in the evening, and the meeting won't be over until just after eleven," he explained.

"Why is next week's meeting so long, Potter?" Pansy asked.

"Fire is dangerous," Harry responded simply.

Theo laughed. "He's giving us time to not injure ourselves unnecessarily. You are, of course, welcome to not attend if you have other plans, Pansy."

"I will be here, Theodore," Pansy said coolly.

"Simmer down, everyone," Astoria cautioned. "Daphne? Have you brought up the water element?"

"Without the use of Aguamenti?" Daphne asked her older sister. "No, I have not been successful, yet."

As Astoria moved to help Daphne, Harry pulled Ginny, Neville, George and Luna to the side. He nodded at Theo and Blaise, as they continued to work to shape and mold water.

"Do any of you have any ideas on how to get Hermione to back off?" he asked quietly.

"Maybe you shouldn't have told her the truth, at least then she wouldn't have it to obsess about," Ginny said.

"She was already obsessing," Neville offered.

"She's going to continue to be obnoxious about it," said George. "I mean, really. Fred knows what's going on and he's not upset or concerned."

"Fred knows?" Harry asked.

"We couldn't keep it from him," Luna said softly. "Neville, George and I are friends, it was hard to leave Fred out of everything."

Harry frowned. "What about the Secrecy Scroll?"

"I think there are bonds, such as betrothal and being twins that...nullify the scroll, Harry," George said.

"That's not good. I didn't even think of that," Harry said.

"It's alright. No one here is going to tell, and those members that have already left haven't said anything either, obviously," Ginny commented.

"You shouldn't worry," Luna comforted. "It'll all be alright in the end. We won't be discovered. Not this year, at least."

Harry sighed. "We better not be, this is too important."

"I think we're agreed about that, Harry," said Neville. "Now, what are we going to do about Hermione?"

"Get to Ron first," Ginny advised.

"That could backfire," Neville murmured.

"I don't think it will," George said. "He really wants to be friends with Harry again. As in, Ron seems afraid of losing Harry. So...if maybe Fred and I approach Ron...maybe he'd help. And maybe he'd be interested enough to join...or keep it to himself."

Harry nodded. "Try that," he said. "Now, let's get back to work."

********

On Monday, the fourth years studied the Wizarding Law of Succession, in terms of what an Heir is allowed to do, legally, for and about their family and in their family's name. Harry was grateful for the subject change (the last several weeks had been about laws having to do with how the wizarding world relates to Royalty and the Royal family, Knighthood, Order of Merlin and Order of Aurelius recipients) and he was also grateful for Professor Blakely who always referred to Harry as 'Heir Potter.'

Then in Charms, Harry sat with both Neville and Theo as they learned the theory on the three versions of the Banishing charm. They'd spent the previous weeks on the Summoning charm and before exams they'd revise the mending charm (reparo) as well as the pull and/or seize charm, and some others. The Gryffindors no longer protested Harry's friendship with Theo, and Harry was grateful -- he liked sitting with Theo in classes.

After, in History of Magick, Harry sat at a table with Neville and (for the first time in weeks) Ron and Sally-Anne Perks. They spent the period folding paper, a long-held tradition in Pureblood families, and enchanting them -- anything to keep from falling asleep while Professor Binns droned on about the Goblin Rebellions. Harry promised Neville and Ron his notes on the Rebellions from the correspondence course he'd received top marks in earlier that school year. It hadn't been a History of Magick course, but rather a course about the Wizarding Financial, but because Gringotts played such a large role, and in that way the Goblins themselves, the course had covered the history of the Goblins, as a species -- which had included the many rebellions.

At lunch time, Harry sat with Neville and Sally-Anne (who had given him leave to use her first name a couple of weeks before) at the far-end of the Gryffindor table. They watched as Hermione and Ron stormed out of the Great Hall, in some sort of fight, but neither Harry nor Neville did anything about the argument, and Sally-Anne shook her head at it and then resumed reading while she ate.

In Herbology, with Hufflepuff, Professor Sprout checked in on all the groups and how they were doing with their year-end project. Harry and Neville were proud to report that tending to and harvesting their _Mirabil Magicus_ (a magickal species of Mirabilis plant) was going smoothly. Other teams weren't as lucky. Hermione and Ron had chosen to grow and tend a subspecies of the Wolfsbane plant and were having a tough time getting it to flourish. Most of the Hufflepuff class seemed to be doing decently with their projects as well, but a lot of the Gryffindors seemed to be struggling. After checking on their projects, Professor Sprout spent the rest of the period showing them how to safely collect Bubotuber pus from the Bubotuber plant.

In Care of Magickal Creatures with Professor Grubbly-Plank, the fourth years resumed their study and activities with Magickal Horse Species, such as Unicorns, Thestrals, Winged, Ghost, Hippogriffs and their various types. Earlier in the year, they'd studied Nifflers, other magickal rodents, magickal cat species (like Kneazles) and magical canine species (like Crups). After the current section on horses, they'd spend the rest of the year in review for the exam in June.

Finally, Harry attended Muggle Studies (Course A) with the fourth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. Since he and Hermione weren't speaking, and he wasn't speaking to the rest of the Gryffindors either, Harry opted to sit with Tony and Emma, of Ravenclaw. Neville, Sally-Anne and Ron had all been opted-out of the course by their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had done so in order to have Ron tutored by an upper-year Ravenclaw during the hour - they felt that was more important, since Ron's grades were much lower than they wanted. Sally-Anne and Neville were opted-out of the course after second year (as it had been mandatory for first and second year), due to their more traditionalist upbringings.

When the day was finally over, Harry enjoyed dinner in the kitchens with his friends, before heading up to bed. He had homework to do, and did want to get it all done, but he was exhausted. It had been a very long day, and getting to bed early meant he'd get an early start on tomorrow.

***********

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The roster for the Ancient Studies Club:  
> Harry Potter  
> Theo Nott  
> Draco Malfoy  
> Blaise Zabini  
> Pansy Parkinson  
> Eve Parkinson  
> Daphne Greengrass  
> Millicent Bulstrode  
> Luna Lovegood  
> Sally-Anne Perks  
> Zacharias Smith  
> Neville Longbottom  
> Mervyn Wynch  
> Astoria Greengrass  
> Ginny Weasley  
> George Weasley


	23. April Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new chapter is marked as "new" in the title of the chapter.  
> The last chapters in this story are the appendix; which explain the ways the fic veres from canon.  
> Please keep this in mind as we head towards the completion of this fiction.  
> Additionally, as much as I'd like to write a 5th year story that follows this, I am not certain that I will.
> 
>  
> 
> Chapter: the beginning of April; a meeting with Healer Drummond, classes, and a chat with Professor Snape.
> 
> OOC!Snape. Snape knows more here, about Harry, than in canon, just heads up.

On Monday, Harry met with Healer Drummond -- in the same unused but redesigned classroom as before -- after the days' classes.

"I'm sorry it's been a few weeks since our last session, and I hope you understand," Healer Drummond began.

Harry nodded. "Don't worry about it, I've been pretty busy lately too," he replied.

"Alright. Anything in particular on your mind, for this session, Harry?" she asked.

At Harry's silence, she sat forward slightly.

"Nothing to say? Not one thing you want to talk about?" Healer Drummond asked.

"Hermione and I aren't speaking anymore, and I guess, according to the rumour mill, Ron broke up with her. I do feel bad about it, because I think it has to do with me," Harry blurted.

"Ron and Hermione's actions don't have anything to do with you, Harry. You are not to blame," she cautioned.

"I know that it's not my fault, but...I...Ron has been trying very hard to maintain our friendship, siding with me over things, listening to George and Fred without outbursts, things like that. My...studying Dark Arts and some minor Dark Magick really angers Hermione, as does my being a traditionalist. Ron is supporting me. It drove a wedge between them," Harry explained.

"Ron is supporting you and Hermione is not, and it divided them enough for them to break up?" Healer Drummond shook her head. "I don't believe that was the only issue. This isn't your fault. Maybe you should talk to Ron about it?"

Harry sighed and then nodded. "Yeah, maybe I will."

"And how are you doing with the journal I asked you to keep in our last meeting? Writing down your thoughts about the Dursleys and any dark or negative thoughts you have?" she probed.

"Good. When I have nightmares about the cupboard, I write them down and try to figure out how I feel about it. Same with the starvation and the overwhelming chores and the 'Harry Hunting' that Dudley and his friends did," Harry replied.

"And do you feel it's helping -- the writing?" the Healer asked.

"Yeah, I do...I do feel sort of...clearer, about it all, when I'm writing it all down. And, I think it's helping me clear my thoughts up before classes and sometimes at night." Harry leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs.

"Okay. Now, tell me about the Dark Arts club. How's it going? Are you guys doing anything you need or want to talk to me about? Is there anything worrying you?" Healer Drummond asked.

Harry grinned. He really appreciated being able to talk about his whole world, his whole life, without worrying he'd get into trouble. "We're working on calling the elements. We've done earth, air, water, and fire. Metal and spirit is up next."

"And...you aren't focused on curses or magicks that can harm...?" she asked.

"No. But....I can't say we'll never study those things. But, I also know that this isn't about hurting people, it's about being prepared, its about knowing as much magick as we all can -- and it isn't about harm," Harry responded.

"No, of course not. If I thought that it was about that for you, or your group, I'd have to report it. Now, what's going on between you and Theodore? Have you told him how you feel, yet?" she said.

Harry squirmed and then blushed, for a moment, before shaking his head.

***

On Thursday, Harry headed to Muggle Skills Course B with the rest of Gryffindor and the Slytherin students that were taking it -- which included Theo and Malfoy (among a couple of others), because Mathematics was a very good subject to study if one also wanted to figure out Arithmancy. Professor Johanneson also taught certain basics of muggle science and the basics of the muggle, British government (and they also covered certain other governments in the world, such as the USA).

In Study of Ancient Runes with Professor Babbling, Harry and the other fourth years that were taking it continued working on their end-of-year projects. The assignment was to use runes, two or three, to boost or change a charm or spell that they already knew. Harry was using the runes for protection and strength to bolster one of the warding charms he'd taught himself. 

Next, Harry joined the small group of fourth years for Wandlore with Professor Ollivander. Professor Ollivander was the third son of the Diagon Alley wand-shop owner. The project the class was currently focused on was finding and utilizing a wand core that didn't contain any animal ingredients. There were many, many materials that could be used as wand cores, but some things worked better than others. And, some materials had to be prepared with the correct potions and spells and even collection rituals in order to be used as the core of a wand. Harry was trying to figure out if seeds from a magickal tree or plant could be used as a wand-core, since wands were most often made out of wood.

Harry lunched with his friends in the Hogwarts kitchens, before he headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts with the rest of the Gryffindors, and the fourth-year Slytherin students too. Professor Mars took them through a lesson on hex deflection and the counter-curses for three of the most used curses in dueling, before pairing them off. Harry got paired up with Malfoy, and was pleased to best him in three out of five duels.

By dinner-time, Harry was just grateful that the week was almost over. He'd been going all day - working hard, studying hard, not really interacting with his friends outside of lunch and he was tired. Ancient Studies and Rites & Rituals had been similar -- they'd both worked on what it meant and how it worked to add in pictographs to rites and ritual, the former focusing on Hieroglyphics, the latter on drawn images relating to what was being asked for in the ritual.

***

Friday was an even longer day than Thursday had been, considering that his block had Astronomy at the very end of the night, between 9:40 and 10:40 in the evening.

First, though, Harry had to make it through Potions. 

Potions was a double unit, with Slytherin, and Harry just hoped to successfully complete his potion and not get into anything with either the Gryffindors, who were still angry and suspicious with him, or the Slytherins, especially those who weren't in the club and clearly didn't like him.

They were working on the wit-sharpening potion, and Harry was pretty confident that he could brew it right, the first time, as long as his shield charm (on his cauldron) held and no one messed about. Unfortunately, they weren't brewing it this week. This friday was about the technique, the recipe and the method.

The two hours went by slowly and the room was cold, which meant that by the end of the class Harry wanted a warm drink and his warm bed, and not to have to go up to the Astronomy tower that night to get supremely freezing before the end of the night.

He'd already decided to skip Gryffindor Lessons (again), when the bell rang and, before he could get safely out the door, Professor Snape held up a hand and said, "Potter, stay after."

Harry nodded dully and scooted out of the way of the fleeing students.

When the room was empty, but for Harry and Professor Snape, the classroom door shut with a sharp click.

Professor Snape waved his wand at the door a couple of times and then came out from behind his desk. "I'll not pretend to have some long-winded discussion, Mr. Potter. I will get right to the point," he said.

"Uh, okay," Harry replied.

"It has come to my attention that you are heading up a group of...shall we say...like-minded individuals...to study Dark Arts and Dark Magick," Professor Snape said. 

As Harry began awkwardly spluttering inane words, Professor Snape held up his hands. "Stop that, this instant. It does not bother me that you are venturing into a study of Dark Arts, nor does it bother me that you are taking my Slytherins along for the ride. More power to you, the lot of you, if you are able to successfully keep these meetings from the Headmaster, though it is within breaking about fifty school rules."

"Sir?" Harry squeaked.

"Heir Nott is not as talented at Occlumency as Heir Malfoy. Some of my Slytherins are not as stealthy as others, nor as good at hiding their true feelings. And that is as far as I am willing to explain. However," Severus said. "What does bother me, about your meetings, is that you are not studying Dark Arts and Dark Magick under the tutelage or watchful eye of an adult who is adept at the subject. It is dangerous to undertake this without aid, without someone more knowledgeable. Now, Mr. Potter, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Sir, why aren't you going to tell on us?" Harry asked quietly over the roaring in his ears. He felt light headed and odd...as though he was outside of his body.

"I think we both know that the Dark Lord will return. My role, at that time, has been made clear to me. And we are both aware of what Albus will have you do. The saviour, that he believes you to be. I desire for my Slytherins to have another option -- an option that is not light and is not the Dark Lord. That explanation will have to suffice, as I will not be volunteering any more," Severus said.

"You're a spy," Harry said. "Did you ever believe in the Dark Lord's ideals?"

"Do you never listen, Mr. Potter?" Severus said, a bit wearily.

"Sometimes," came Harry's response.

Severus massaged the bridge of his nose. "Gryffindors," he muttered, before looking back up at Harry. "From now on, I will be supervising your meetings. I will not tell the Headmaster, and I will ensure that you all survive your...endeavor. In exchange, you will provide, clearly, an option for not just your friends but for the rest of Slytherin house. I will ally myself with you, though I find it an odious task, in the hope that in the coming war...there might be choices. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded and then said, "Yes."

"I am given to understand that the meetings are in a relatively secret place. You will figure out a way to include me, to provide me with the information so that I can attend and supervise, and if you do not you will be in detention with me from now until the end of term - every day. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Potter?" Severus asked.

"Yes, sir," Harry replied. "I'll keep you informed. May I go now?"

Severus cancelled the spells on the door and waved his hand at it. The door opened. "After you, Mr. Potter," he said.

Harry left quickly. He had friends to talk to before dinner, if he could find them all.

 

********************

TBC


	24. April Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next bit of April.  
> Harry tells the group about Snape chaperoning. Harry has his first kiss.  
> (This turned into a really short chapter, sorry about that).

**April, Part Two**

"No," said Neville.

"I know he's your greatest fear, or something, Neville, but there isn't anything I can do about it. I'm sorry," Harry replied.

"I can't go around learning _dark magick_ with Professor Snape sneering over my shoulder, Harry!" Neville exclaimed.

"I know, I get it, but...there's really...other than giving him the wrong directions, I can't just say no. He's a teacher, and he could go to the Headmaster and then we'd all get into trouble. It's likely some of us could get expelled, Neville!" Harry argued.

"Why does he want to chaperone, Harry?" Theo asked quietly.

Harry looked around the room. The majority of the Slytherins were nodding, and so were some of the other members of the club. Though the club was smaller than it had originally been, it was still a pretty good representation of the Hogwarts houses - minus Hufflepuff.

"He...it seemed as though he is encouraging me in possibly having a dark sway. In being darker. He wants...his Slytherins to have another choice," he replied.

"Other than Lord WhatsIt, you mean," Zach said.

"Yes, let's state the obvious, Smith," Pansy Parkinson quipped.

"It's good," said George. "To give everyone other choices besides the side headed by Dumbledore and the side headed by...by...the, erm...the Dark Lord."

Neville sighed. "It's still _Snape_. He'll be cruel. He'll start us rowing among ourselves. He'll take points."

"He can't take points, Neville," Ginny pointed out. "It's an illegal club, held after-hours, in the Chamber of secrets for fuck's sake." She shuddered.

"Ginevra makes a good point. Other than overseeing us, helping us and possibly showing us spells none of us know, he cannot really do anything to us. He is signing on to chaperone what he is very well aware is an illegal club," Blaise agreed.

"The lighter of you will probably be leaving the club next year in any case," Daphne offered. "Is it really such a shock that some of you might leave over this new addition?"

"None of us are leaving, Greengrass," Sally-Anne commented.

"Really, we're here. Dark magick is just another kind of magick, I'm here, to learn it. Regardless of how dark it may go, I imagine I'll find good uses for the knowledge," Luna said.

"I think she means me and George," Neville said quietly before he sat up straighter and glared around the room. "I'm not going anywhere. This is valuable. I won't let Snape run me off, anymore than I'd let you lot, the Slytherins, run me off. So what if it's dark? The Longbottom family weren't always light wizards, you know. I'm learning more magick, useful magick, here than I have in the last four years at Hogwarts -- and that isn't just because I finally have my own wand."

It was the longest speech Neville had given since they'd begun gathering or meeting, and, as such, it shocked the rest of the group into silence.

After a few moments, the tension was broken when Draco Malfoy began to laugh.

"Never knew you had it in you, Longbottom, to be so....sure of yourself," Malfoy said in between stilted laughter.

Neville shrugged. "Now, what are we going to learn in the next meeting, Harry?"

Harry smiled. "Spirit," he said. "It's the hardest. It can tangle with death magick, which is one of the most dangerous forms of magick, as you know."

"Branches," Theo corrected gently.

"Blood, Wild, Assisted, Learned, Willed, Elemental, Death -- they are branches of magic, not forms," Mervyn explained. "And they are not the only ones, of course, and they go with each other or against each other. Blood and wild go together, for example."

"In any case," Harry continued. "We'll work with Spirit next, for our first lesson with Professor Snape as chaperone. He has assured me that he is quite adept at dart arts and dark magick, so...as long as everything goes smoothly, it should be a good thing -- him chaperoning -- and not a bad thing."

After a bit more conversation, and a little magick, the group dispersed.

***

Classes and homework were tough over the next few days, and Harry, and his friends, really had to focus on the immediate needs - passing quizzes, performing in classes, turning in homework and getting decent rest at night -- instead of focusing on the potential drama of Professor Snape being their chaperone.

Finally, though, it was the weekend and the next club meeting was around the corner, on Sunday, and Harry gathered in the Room of Requirement with his friends for a study and homework session before they'd all head to bed.

"It isn't just that it's annoying," Fred was saying as he sat next to Luna. "He's my brother. I don't need to see him making out with Lavender every time I turn around. Luna and I don't make out in front of them."

"It would be highly inappropriate, given your age difference, for you to make out with Miss Lovegood, or any third year student, in front of your brother or not," Blaise chided.

"Having to wait three years to kiss my betrothed, now that is awful," Fred whined.

"George and I have to wait too," Neville said quietly. "Okay, not three years, but still."

"Two years," George said as he grabbed Neville around the waist and squeezed.

At Neville's loud laughter, the group broke off into pairs and turned to talking about other things.

Fred, though, wasn't quite done complaining. He pulled Harry aside, who had been talking quietly with Theo.

"Seriously, though, it's a nightmare. Ginny gets the worst of it, mind, as she's closer to him in age and almost friends with Lavender, but, really, Harry, couldn't you talk to him? No one needs to see that. Whatever they get up to, they should take it somewhere else. Nevermind having Hermione walk in on it too. She looks both horrified and morose," said Fred.

"I can't help what Ron and his girlfriend get up to, you know. We've only just mended things, Ron and me," Harry explained. "Besides which, I barely knew about him and Hermione, and then it was over. I can't tell him who to snog, Fred. You're his brother, you talk to him."

At Fred's sigh, Harry laughed and then turned back to talk with Theo.

After about an hour, the gathered group left to go back to their common rooms, or onto other plans they had, leaving Harry and Theo standing in the Room of Requirement.

"Harry?" Theo said quietly.

"Yeah?" Harry asked as he turned to look at Theodore.

"I...I was wondering how you feel about the whole...dating as a fourth-year?" Theo asked.

"I don't know," came Harry's reply. "I mean, if you like someone, and you feel ready...more power to you and I guess you should go for it, right? Life is short. Time moves quickly. You know?"

At Theo's nod, Harry gave him a gentle smile.

"You don't think we're too young then?" Theo questioned.

Harry shook his head slowly. "Well, no, not really. People feel what they feel, when they feel it. Can't really help that."

"I suppose," said Theo as he gathered his things to leave.

At the door to the Room, Theo turned back.

"What the hell," he muttered as he lunged towards Harry.

Too shocked to do anything but stand there, Harry stumbled forwards as Theo grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Sorry about this," Theo whispered before he reached up and, holding Harry's face in his hands, he kissed Harry full on the lips.

Harry let out a shocked squeak, which quickly turned into a groan as Theo's tongue swept across his bottom lip.

Theo kissed Harry for several minutes. 

Harry's lips were warm and slick beneath his.

Harry had a thought that Theo really knew what he was doing when he kissed someone, but even that was fleeting as Harry got lost in the feeling of Theo's lips on his and, after a few moments, Theo's tongue in his mouth. 

Harry's arms had just come up to wrap around Theo, to plaster their bodies together, when Theo pulled back.

Theo grinned at Harry for a moment and then disappeared through the door and into the corridor.

Harry stood, mouth agape, eyes glazed over, for several minutes before he had the wherewithal to grab his things and head back to the dorm.

*********************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Club Roster:  
> Harry Potter  
> Theo Nott  
> Draco Malfoy  
> Blaise Zabini  
> Pansy Parkinson  
> Eve Parkinson  
> Daphne Greengrass  
> Millicent Bulstrode  
> Luna Lovegood  
> Sally-Anne Perks  
> Zacharias Smith  
> Neville Longbottom  
> Mervyn Wynch  
> Astoria Greengrass  
> Ginny Weasley  
> George Weasley


	25. April Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next club meeting; then Harry talks with Ron; Harry discusses it with Theo; then Harry talks with George and Ginny.
> 
> Pretty good sized chapter for you guys. :) Sorry about the long-ish delay. Got sidetracked with depression and some personal stuff. Love my readers so much, thank you for reading. :)
> 
> 2nd Task is gonna be the next chapter. I'm trying hard to get this story finished before May, just FYI.

Professor Snape stood with his back to the wall in the shadowy recess of the Chamber while he watched the gathered students. In a few minutes, he had a part to play for them but, for now, he simply observed. Potter had gathered an interesting group to study the dark parts of magick, and it intrigued Severus to no end.

"Okay," Harry said to the gathered group. "Luna and Heir Malfoy will be taking over the lesson for tonight, so give them your undivided attention. Tonight's lesson has the potential to be really quite dangerous as we are working with the element, for lack of a better term, of spirit." 

Harry sort of nodded to the group and then said, "Remember that we're not meeting again until May, because the task is the day after tomorrow and...well, honestly, I'll need a bit of rest after it's over."

Several students laughed and then Harry walked around to the back of the group and seemed to almost blend in with the other members.

"Conjuring spirit is not like conjuring fire, wind, water, earth or metal," Draco said as he and Luna stepped to the front of the group. "Not everyone can do it, and some families have affinities with magicks that will benefit the conjuring of spirit. The ability to conjure spirit can be considered death magick."

"It's also a branch of Seer magick, which is where I get the affinity from, from my mother's side," Luna said softly. "Draco gets it from his mother's side as well, through the Black affinity for death magick, which is why the Black family was often considered dark, before anyone ever discovered their sway."

"Spirit is not easily controlled, so there is a step to perform _before_ one performs the actual conjuring spell," Draco explained.

"Professor Snape and Draco will each perform the protection spell to keep the pulled or conjured spirit away from others and contained to me when I pull it out of the object that I chose earlier today to show to you," said Luna.

Draco waved his wand in a circular motion and then a cross motion and intoned, " _Custodia protectico spiritus_." A dark blue circle of magick appeared on the floor around Luna.

From the shadows, Professor Snape cast the same spell and another, slightly more substantial, circle of dark blue magick spread around the circle Draco had cast. He then melted back into the shadows.

"There is a belief, in the magickal community, that everything has a spirit. Everything has a soul, be it rock or plant or person or place. There are ways to conjure the spirit, or remembrance, of a place, but we are going to work with objects -- such as rocks and plants -- and we probably will not get to the spell for conjuring the spirit of a place. It is a slightly different spell, and is a little more complicated," Draco explained.

Luna produced a round, purple rock and held it up for the group to see. "It's actually a mineral stone, but that's not really important. Everything has a spirit." She looked indulgently at Draco for a moment. "So, the wand movement is just tapping your wand once to the object and then pulling your wand straight back and flicking it out into the space in front of you, like this," Luna said and then demonstrated the wand movement.

"The incantation for people or objects is _Spiritus videre simulae spiritoos_ ," Draco said quietly. "There are a few witches and wizards, and even some magickal creatures, that can conjure, or invoke, the spirit with simply _Spiritus videre_."

Luna gave a bright smile and then chanted the spell while performing the wand movement and a purple mist rose from the rock. The mist danced for a moment and then formed a long column of silver which swayed back and forth until it burst into tiny silver dots. The dots stayed projected in the space in front of the rock, in front of Luna.

"This is the stone's spirit. It'll stay, pushed out, this projected image, until I release the spell. It is an actual part of the stone itself, but it isn't actually the stone's spirit or soul. People work differently. If I conjured my spirit, my soul, and asked it to project itself to you, then it would really be part of my spirit, part of my soul, but luckily, objects....it's just an image of the internal workings of that object. It's a picture, of how the stone feels about itself," Luna explained.

After a few moments, Luna cancelled the spell and then Draco and Professor Snape released their spells too.

"On the back table is a collection of rocks, stones and plants. Pick one, and then Luna and I will go around helping you to conjure spirit," said Draco.

Draco and Luna spent the rest of the lesson teaching the group how to cast both the protective spell and the spirit conjuring spell.

By the end of the lesson, only a handful of the students were capable of conjuring spirit, but everyone, even Neville, had successfully cast the protection spell.

***

On Friday, after classes, Harry joined one of the Gryffindor tables in the Great Hall for dinner - something he hadn't done in months. The ripple of surprise went around the table and the whispers died down only after Harry had finished eating.

After the meal, Harry walked as quickly as he could away from the table, but was waylaid when Ron jogged up to him and shouted "Harry!"

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he turned around to talk to Ron.

"Yeah, Ron?" he asked quietly as students began to return to their meals instead of staring at whatever was about to go down between him and Ron.

"It's nothing bad, mate, promise," Ron said softly. "I just need to talk to you about something and I wasn't sure what you're up to now."

Harry nodded. "Alright. We'll go into an unused classroom. I don't really want to talk with the entirety of the student body listening in."

Ron laughed and followed Harry into an unused classroom on the second floor.

Before the door could close behind Ron, Harry cast a generalized notice-me-not spell.

When they'd moved into the center of the room, Harry cast a silencing spell on the room itself and a generalized warding spell on the door. He hoped that was enough to keep out anyone who'd been overly curious about what Ron wanted to talk to him about.

"So...?" Harry asked.

Ron gave a sheepish smile. "I want in, Harry...into the Dark Arts club, or whatever you're calling it."

No amount of preparation could have prepared Harry for Ron saying that to him, and he was immensely grateful that he had learned anything from his Slytherin friends at all. Harry schooled his features. He reigned in any automatic response he might have had and took a step back.

"Please explain," he said simply, and he hoped he wasn't giving anything away.

"Listen, I'm not saying you're running the club, and I'm not saying I'm into the dark arts or anything...I still think dark magick is bad. I still think that Slytherins are mostly slimy creeps. But....I need to learn more magick. I need to learn more about magick and...I found out some stuff about my family that I didn't know before and it's taken me some time to come to terms with it," Ron said.

"What did you discover?" Harry asked.

"I guess my father's parents were traditionalists...and so were my mother's parents and my mother's brothers. They both died in the war, but...still. And my dad was raised in a traditionalist manner, and doesn't actually mind or dislike it...it's just that he supports my mum. He agreed to raise us all...without that. Without the traditionalism. He never believed the pureblood bigotry or anything, but...he used to love some of our traditions. Enough that he fought my mum on some of them, but in the end....he knew how much that stuff scared her, so he goes along..." Ron trailed off.

"When did you learn this...history about your family?" was Harry's next question.

"Over the Christmas holidays, but....like I said, it took me a while to...wrap my brain around it. I didn't really want to believe it. It just....when my brothers and Ginny decided to not ignore traditionalism...it just made me angry. I thought they were being bigots, or hateful, when really...they're just upholding different beliefs than mine. And then, when I thought about how that impacts magick...I wondered...is dark magick really dark? Sorry, Harry, I'm rambling," Ron explained.

"What makes you think I could connect you with a dark arts club?" Harry said.

"Oh come on, Harry. I know Hermione and I weren't totally off the mark. And I know that it's going on somewhere in the school. I figure probably the Room of Requirement, but it might be somewhere else...and I just want in," said Ron.

"I have a study group that I attend weekly," Harry said patiently. "I don't belong to a dark arts club, but...if I hear anything about one, I'll be sure to pass it on to you, Ron, okay?"

"You can do better than that, can't you, Harry?" Ron pleaded. "I know it exists and that you're part of it. I want in. I'm serious."

"I can see that you're serious, but I can't help you...I'm not a member of a dark arts club. I'm not aware of one operating in the castle. I promise, Ron," Harry said carefully.

Ron sighed. "Okay. I won't push. But, if you hear of anything?"

"I'll be sure to tell you," Harry said.

Ron smiled and then waved a hand at the door. "Dismantle the wards, yeah? I'm gonna go find Lavender."

Harry gave a slight smile and then took down the wards so that Ron could leave. Once Ron was gone, he put the wards back up and then turned to look in the direction of a darkened corner of the room.

"Did you get all that?" he asked quietly.

Theo materialized out of the shadows as he released the disillusionment charm on himself. "Yes. I really don't think you should trust him, Harry."

"Is that why you followed me in?" Harry asked.

"Of course. I worried that maybe it was another ambush," Theo said.

"I don't trust him, you know...not about the club. It's just that it's not only me. I'm responsible for everyone that attends and there's a professor involved now. That man may be someone I wholeheartedly dislike, who hates my guts, but...I'm responsible. I can't just tell Ron or invite him to join. Not when..." Harry trailed off.

"Yes. I'm glad that you appreciate that. He'd go straight to the Headmaster, or Professor McGonagall, or both. It would end badly. For us all," Theo said.

Harry sighed and walked over to lean against the wall. "Couldn't he have waited until _after_ the second task to talk to me? I don't need yet another thing to worry about."

Theo gave a soft laugh and then shook his head. "He doesn't seem the type for a lot of restraint," he commented.

Harry laughed. "No. He's really not."

Theo strode over to Harry and leaned in. He placed his hands on Harry's hips and brushed his lips across Harry's.

Harry sighed into Theo's mouth and surrendered. "There are much better ways to spend my time," Harry murmured and began to kiss back enthusiastically.

They snogged, against the wall, for almost an hour.

***

Later, after his shower and changing into a jumper and jeans, Harry settled into a corner in the Gryffindor common room.

The air was pleasantly warm because of the roaring fire and Harry was settled in a spot with a trio of armchairs, reading a book on the differences, changes and attributes of a witch or wizard's patronus.

After several moments of re-reading the same passage, Harry sighed and shut the book with a loud thunk.

"Didn't think you were going to give up that easily," George said as he sat down across from Harry.

As Ginny sat down in the other armchair, she nodded. "Stressed about the tournament?" she asked.

Harry grinned at both of them for a moment and then said, "Worried about what Ron wanted, are you?" he asked.

"Well, to put it in a word, yes," said Ginny.

"We just...we know he's been trying to repair stuff with you, but we don't want you to feel like you have to. You're family, Harry. Regardless of your friendship with Ron. Even Mum says so," George admitted.

"It's okay, guys...he asked about the club, told me some things about your family background, I didn't give anything away, and he went off to meet Lavender. That pretty much sums it up," Harry replied.

"As much as I love Ron, you can't trust him, Harry. Don't feel bad about that. He'd go straight to the Headmaster," Ginny said.

"I know. I also...I can't afford to worry about it. The task is _tomorrow_ ," Harry responded.

"Okay, well...I'll leave you alone, I've got plans with Blaise," Ginny said as she rose.

"I'm going to hang out with Lee and Angelina and a few others, but I'm around...if you need to talk to someone, Harry," said George.

Harry smiled and then nodded at them both before taking himself up to the dormitory for a good night's rest.

***********************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are confused about any of the canon changes in this story, the appendices are now their own story and can be located (and read) here:  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/13749963/chapters/31596714
> 
> It can also be located as part two of the Where The Path Diverges series.


	26. The Second Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and the rest of the Champions participate in the Second Task.
> 
> The tasks aren't my strong suit, so I wanted to say: I'm sorry I leave the task details so vague. It just...it bored me a bit, so I went in a different direction (the vagueness). Sorry.

The next morning, Harry dressed in comfortable, but warm clothing. The jeans were worn and had holes in several places, but he was wearing long underthings underneath. The t-shirt was old, a present from Ron some Christmas before, and had pictures of Snitches all over it. He had both wand-holsters on and a long, open, grey jacket on over all of that.

He wasn't allowed anything more than his wand, but his secondary wand was also okay and he felt a kind of comfort that his mom's wand was nestled near his ankle.

**

Harry took his book on the patronus charm to the Great Hall for breakfast. His breakfast consisted of two poached eggs on toast, tomatoes, fresh fruit and tea. He badly wanted coffee, but knew he couldn't afford the jittery feeling later (during the task) or the come-down from the fact that he liked it sweet and light.

The Gryffindors around him left him pretty much alone as he ate and read, even his friends seemed to understand he needed to focus and to be quiet.

After breakfast, he made his way to the Headmaster's office, where he'd meet up with the rest of the Champions and then Auror Moody, Headmaster Dumbledore and the other overseers would take them all to the task grounds.

**

They stood in a row at the edge of the very large field. The field was divided into six even lanes and there seemed to be various veils of magick throughout each lane. Harry assumed their patronus would have to get through whatever the magick did or was, but he'd await further instructions to find out for sure.

The audience sat in stands around the field and large screens projected the first, individual lane for the audience to be able to see what was going on in it more easily.

"In order to support the different ways that the American school practices Magick, Mr. Watts and Miss McGee will be going first. They are both allowed the addition of their personal athames -- which they use to direct energy. They also have the use of their wands, and it is to be understood by the audience and everyone involved that the way they practice magick is different and that they cast the Patronus charm differently," Sir Crouch said.

"After Mr. Watts and then Miss McGee perform and participate, Lord Krum and then Lady Gresage will go, and then Heir Diggory and finally Heir Potter," he continued. "Each Champion -- one at a time -- will guide his or her patronus through their own, respective, lane. Your patronus will have to overcome certain magickal obstacles or find an object that is hidden in your part of the field. Each Champion will walk behind their patronus, guiding it, but will at no time intervene on behalf of the patronus."

"Now, I will cast a spell which will block the rest of the Champions from seeing and hearing what is going on in the task, while Mr. Watts prepares his patronus and then attempts his own lane. The audience does need to at least attempt to be quiet and patient while the task goes on. Mr. Watts, are you ready?" Sir Crouch said. 

When Mr. Watts nodded, Sir Crouch cast a muffling charm and a sight-blocking spell on the rest of the Champions.

Harry shuddered as the spells layered themselves over him and barely avoided a gasp of scared surprise. He really didn't like having his senses taken away from him this way. He could hear his own heart beating, his breath moving, but he couldn't hear what was going on outside of himself, nor could he see anything in front of him. It was disheartening and alarming, at best.

**

Mr. Watts pulled his athame from the belt at his waist with one hand and his silver and pewter wand, tipped in smoky quartz, with the other. He directed both towards the sky as he focused on conjuring his patronus while invoking air.

His method was a little nontraditional, as most of his [American] peers (even Adelaide, for that matter) would invoke spirit to conjure a patronus, or otherwise called an animal soul or sometimes even simply an animal projection. But, well, he had realized that it didn't work that way for him. Then again, magick worked a bit differently for american wizards -- and on the west coast they practiced it first and foremost as a religion, and then as a power.

Richard spun in a slow circle as he began to chant, though the audience couldn't hear what he was saying as they were too far away. It was a much different spell than the sort he'd seen the other Champions perform -- it was way more complex than a wand movement and a few words of Latin.

"By wind I call, By wind I cry, By wind I seek," came Richard's first chant, and a swirl of wind picked up around him. As he chanted, he drew the wand down and in front of him and sort of twirled it around, but he left the athame pointing skywards.

"I call upon my animal's soul,  
to display itself to those unknown.  
Spirit, soul help me with this great task,  
to work with magick someone else hath cast.  
An image of your beastly self,  
Be it beast or bird or reptile or something else,  
Project onto the world outside,  
Help me succeed in this task of mine.  
Allow me to control thy animal soul,  
to tread the path only you will know.  
For two hours I request of thee,  
as I will so mote it be."

As Richard finished summoning his patronus, a bright blast of pale blue light erupted in front of him before it narrowed down into a small speck that floated just above the ground. He tucked his athame back into his belt and kept his wand trained on the specter.

Richard smiled fondly at it and then looked to Sir Crouch. "Do I just direct it to my lane and through whatever is there?" he asked.

Sir Crouch frowned. "Is there a problem?"

Richard shook his head. "No, sir, no problem. I just tell my patronus to go through the trials in the lane, right?"

"Er, yes, but....have you not managed to conjure it, Mr. Watts?" Sir Crouch asked.

Richard grinned and then gave a little laugh. He directed his next comment to the crowd. "No, sir, I conjured it just fine. It's just....small. It's an ant," he said proudly.

Many people in the crowd laughed and some clapped.

Richard gave a little bow and then directed his spectral ant towards the lane and through the obstacles.

**

When Harry was finally able to see and hear again, he looked around -- a bit wildly -- for a few moments before he focused on what Sir Crouch was saying.

"Five Champions have completed the task, and the points, out of 50, stand thus: Mr. Watts with 38 points, Miss McGee with 45 points, Lord Krum with 43 points, Lady Gresage with 40 points and Heir Diggory with 46 points. This is the final task that will have points awarded, and the total scores at the end will determine the order of players in the Third Task. Additionally, for Hogwarts and Durmstrang, house-points will be assigned to the Champions upon completion of this task. For the American school, this will result in what I believe is called Meritus points for their school," Sir Crouch said before he turned to face Harry.

"Now, Heir Potter, you are the last participant for the Second Task and we wish you well! You may begin by casting your patronus, and then please, do remember to follow it as you direct it down your respective lane!" he finished explaining.

Harry took a deep breath and, although he still felt disoriented, he recalled a happy memory in order to boost his patronus. Because there were no dementors around and he had been casting it for over a year, he didn't require bringing up a happy memory, but in this case he did so anyway -- in order to sort of buoy the spell.

" _Expecto patronum_!" Harry cried and his patronus burst forth from his wand. He staggered back. Several members of the audience gasped.

Harry's eyes drifted up and he scanned the crowd, desperately looking for Theo. As Theo's eyes met his from across the field, Harry gave a watery smile.

The patronus he had relied on and come to care for over the course of third year and up until just a few weeks ago had changed. The connection to his father, and by extension his family, his tie to a past he was too young to remember...gone. 

Harry sighed. Even though he was impressed, honestly who wouldn't be, by the new form his patronus had taken, he couldn't help the gut-wrenching, thorat-searing pain and sadness over the loss of Prongs.

Proudly, before him, hovering above the ground and waiting for his instruction, stood one of the most gorgeous Thestrals Harry had ever seen. It was the sort indigenous to Scotland and England, and couldn't be mistaken.

As Harry directed it to the lane of magickal obstacles it occurred to him that not everyone in the audience would know what it was, because not everyone could even _see_ Thestrals -- no matter their origin. He wondered, as his Thestral nosed the ground in front of it, if everyone was actually seeing his patronus or not.

But, instead of asking, Harry got on with the task at hand and followed his patronus into the lane.

**

After the task was over, the students were ushered into the Great Hall for a big, boisterous dinner.

Mr. Bagman headed the announcements before the feast began, though he hadn't been in attendance for the actual event.

"Before you all get caught up in this delicious feast," Mr. Bagman said to the gathered students. "Let me be clear on what the Champions have coming up next. There were three items that your patroni discovered and that you now have in your possession. Two of the items contain a clue to the third task. The last item is something you will need to take to the Third Task with you -- the cloak, to be more specific. The cloak you will have to give back at the end of the Third Task, the other two items you may keep. On Monday your Headmaster will have additional Task details to tell you, so for now I will simply say: enjoy the feast, and we all look forward to seeing the completion of the tournament!"

As the tables filled with platters of food, Ron leaned over and nudged Neville.

Neville looked up from the book he'd been reading and raised an eyebrow in a sort of "what?" gesture.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked.

Neville sighed. "Recovering, probably. Wouldn't you?"

Ron shrugged. "He did really well though, I mean...that bit with the patronus was odd, I mean...it was a weird blob, but it worked, right?"

Neville frowned. "What do you mean it was a weird blob?"

"Well, you know, all wavy light and stuff. Not his stag - which is what I was expecting. I figured that's why everyone reacted like they did."

Sally-Anne gave a mirthless laugh. "It was not a 'weird blob,' Ronald," she said.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked around a mouthful of food.

"Harry's patronus is a Thestral," George explained gently. "It changed. Which explains him not being here for dinner. He's probably a little upset."

"A Thestral?" Hermione asked suddenly. "That explains a lot. He looked confused. Hurt. I wondered..."

"Not any of your business, Hermione," Neville said angrily as he pushed away from the table and strode away.

George followed after him.

"What's his problem?" Hermione asked quietly.

"He's worried about Harry," said Ginny. "And you and Harry aren't friends anymore, so....his patronus really isn't any of your business, now, is it?"

"There's no need to be rude, Gin," Hermione replied.

"I think there's every reason, actually," Ginny responded before she turned her attention on Sally-Anne and the two began talking in hushed voices.

"A Thestral, really?" Ron said, his eyes were alarmed. "Does....is that an indicator of how dark he's gotten?"

"I don't know, Ron," Hermione said sadly. "I really don't."

 

**

"The Third, and final, Task will be on 18th, June and the Champions will receive further instructions in the weeks leading up to it," Headmaster Dumbledore announced after breakfast on Monday morning. 

"Furthermore, on 19th, June, we will host the End-of-Tournament Ball, before everyone leaves for their holidays on 20th, June," he continued. "There are certain rules and stipulations to the ball, and I will go ahead and tell you that not all students are eligible to attend it. Professor McGonagall, if you could continue, please?"

As Professor McGonagall stood, the Headmaster sat back down.

"Yes, well. Students who are sixteen years of age or older are allowed to attend the ball, though they are allowed to invite students who are younger. Obviously, one exception to the age rule will be made, due to the youth of Mr. Potter. No student who is younger than thirteen will be allowed to attend, regardless of potential invitation. The dance will open at eight o'clock in the evening, and last until midnight. Formal dress will be worn, and dancing lessons will commence every Sunday at various times until then. Dance lessons will be led by a third party, as it would be inappropriate for anyone else to teach you. Finally, the Champions are tasked with opening the ball -- as in, starting the ball by performing the very first dance with your partners, which will be the Viennese Waltz. Lessons for the Champions will be given every Friday night until the event, at precisely eight o'clock and will excuse you from any evening classes. If you have any other questions, please ask your Head of House, whoever that may be," she explained before sitting back down.

There was some clapping by various groups of students throughout the Great Hall, and then the students shuffled on to that day's classes.

*************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry's score:  
> 46/50.
> 
>  
> 
> p.s. A note about George and Ginny -- no, they can't see Thestrals. But, Neville can, so can Blaise and Theo and several others, so.....basically, Neville told George and Blaise told Ginny [during the task].


	27. First Part of May

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is largely from Severus's POV and deals with Harry's emotional well-being due to the reveal of the last chapter. A kinder, gentler Snape. Lol.
> 
> Then, there's a bit with Harry and Neville and George.
> 
> There is a bit at the end between Harry and the Headmaster, but that's pretty much it.
> 
> My writing flow got interrupted by some unexpected AO3 drama, so...this one is so short. Sorry guys/gals/people/everyone. This means, of course, that there'll probably be an additional chapter to the number of chapters left that I already have planned.
> 
> Thanks for staying tuned.

It took ten days for Severus to decide he needed to do something. He wasn't overly fond of Potter, and truth be told up until a few weeks ago he would have told anyone who listened how much he loathed the boy. How arrogant and useless and stupid and reckless the boy was. But, now, it seemed clear to him...no one was going to approach Potter and no one, save a couple of Potter's Slytherin friends, were much concerned about his recent escape into stoicism. It had quickly turned into withdrawal from his friends and acquaintances.

It took another three days for Severus to actually do something about it. As much as he didn't wish to pursue any sort of relationship with the boy, someone had to say something before it got much worse. It would have, ideally, been Albus's territory, but the Headmaster seemed content to let Potter carry on without any intervention or meddling at all -- in all things.

On Friday, Severus held Potter back after class. When the rest of the students had all fled, Severus turned towards the door.

A couple of well-placed privacy wards ensured that they wouldn't be interrupted or eavesdropped on.

"Sit down, Mr. Potter. This may take a while," Severus said as gently as he could manage.

Harry took a seat at the very first table and put his bag at his feet. "Sir?" he asked.

"It pains me to have to do this, and I would much rather it be one of your little friends or another professor or even the Headmaster. But, it seems that, for now, your well-being falls to me," Severus explained.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'm not following. Have I done something wrong? Or...is it about the club?" Harry asked. He felt rather confused, but he hoped this, whatever this was, would be over quickly.

"For perhaps the first time in your entire Hogwarts career, no, you have not done anything wrong," Severus replied. "There is also nothing to discuss in regards to the club."

At Harry's nod, Severus continued. "I understood, as of last year, that your patronus was a stag -- after your infernal father. It occurred to me that perhaps the change in your patronus has you....alarmed, or rather, a bit perturbed?" he asked.

"I don't know," came Harry's reply. "It does bother me, sir. But it also doesn't. I know why it's changed. I mean, I understand it. I read a book all about the patronus charm when we were informed what the second task would be. So. Is that all, sir?"

"I had hoped to not delve too deeply into what was bothering you, Mr. Potter. I merely wanted to suggest that you speak to your friends or to someone more qualified than I, about the matter," Severus responded before beginning to pace in front of his desk.

"I feel...a little lost without my stag patronus, Professor. I can't help that, and I don't really want to talk about it," Harry said softly.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "I hate being in this position, Potter, so I am going to ask you a couple of additional questions and I absolutely expect the truth in your replies. Do exercise some equanimity when answering."

Harry sighed. "I'll try, sir," he said.

"Does the new expression of your patronus bother you because it is a Thestral? Or is it simply the loss of the connection with that odious man?" Severus asked.

"I really wish you wouldn't call him names while you're asking me to bare my soul...sir," Harry replied. "But, since you asked...it doesn't bother me that it's now a Thestral. I actually am quite fond of Thestrals. It's really just the loss of connection with my dad, and by extension...the whole Potter family. And, in some ways, I always felt like...well...like Prongs, my stag, was watching out for me."

Severus nodded. "As you are aware from the task, there is more than one spell that conjures and utilizes a person's patronus. During the task you used _patronus usus tracteo_ when making your patronus go through the various...traps, for example. There is a spell that allows a patronus to communicate with other people -- to pass on messages, to lead another person somewhere, etcetera. You can ask your guardians about it or learn it on your own, I care not. It will allow you to choose between your original patronus and your current one. This type of messenger patronus cannot repel a dementor, keep in mind," he explained.

"That would be great, sir, thank you," Harry responded. He couldn't believe Professor Snape was talking to him like Harry was one of the Professor's Slytherins, but also it was clear now..Professor Snape was trying to help him.

Severus gave a short sigh and then said, "The incantation is _patronum nun epis_. I expect you to do the work from here, on your own. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir, thank you," came Harry's reply.

Severus nodded. "Finally, and I do hope this will be the end of this far too familiar chat session...is there anything else that is bothering you, which is causing you to cut yourself off from your group of friends and peers?"

"Yes," Harry said. "But, I'm going to speak with Headmaster Dumbledore about it, sir. I am sorry I've been distracted in class and that you felt you had to step in. I understand how hard this...talk must have been for you, and I'll strive to do better."

Severus sighed and waved his wand at the door to take down the wards. "See that you do," he said. "You're dismissed, Mr. Potter."

**

Neville and George cornered Harry in the common room that night.

"We've given you tons of space, Harry," Neville said quietly. 

"And we're going to give you any more that you need," George said. "But we did want to ask..."

"We've been wondering if you might include a little light-magick in the club from time to time?" Neville asked.

Harry took a deep breath. "It's okay guys, I'm okay. I'm sorry I've been distant."

"I understand what your patronus meant to you, Harry, it's okay," said Neville.

Harry gave a sheepish smile. "Thanks, Neville. Now...what do you mean in regards to the club?"

"Neville and I think you should teach the patronus charm at one of the club meetings," George explained. "It's seventh-year magick, in terms of it's not part of the curriculum until then, but we think it'd be a really good lesson."

"It's not...dark arts or anything, but I think...well, I think the other members might be really interested in learning that bit of advanced magick, don't you?" Neville said.

Harry smiled. "Yeah, I think that'd be a great idea. Let me run it past Theo...after I've mended things with him, obviously, and...it'd be a good lesson for the last meeting - right before the summer holidays," he said.

**

" _Peanut butter parcels_ ," Harry said to the Phoenix that guarded the stairs to the Headmaster's office. He'd gotten the password from Esmeralda Moffet - a sixth year Hufflepuff prefect who was, oddly enough, friends with Fred and George.

He tucked his more tumultuous thoughts and feelings inside the cupboard-under-the-stairs in his head and bolted the latch as he walked into the Headmaster's office.

"Harry, my boy!" Headmaster Dumbledore said, his sharp blue eyes twinkling as he gestured for Harry to sit down. "How nice of you to visit! What's on your mind, dear boy? Lemon drop?"

Harry stifled the urge to laugh. "No thank you, Headmaster," he said politely. Harry looked up, but was careful to keep his eyes trained on the Headmaster's nose or mouth or forehead and did not look him in the eyes.

"Well, what can I do for you, Harry? Not still on about getting out of the tournament, are you?" the Headmaster inquired.

"Oh, no, nothing like that. It's just...I've been feeling really down and depressed lately and just...beside myself. Just absolutely gutted..." Harry trailed off.

"About your patronus?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded.

"And what can I do about that, dear boy? Surely there's something to distract you from it? I was surprised to see the change, obviously, but, well, magick does what it wants in many cases," Dumbledore explained.

"I don't think there's anything you can do, exactly, but I had hoped you might bend the rules a little, for me, sir," Harry said quietly.

"What rules, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"The rules about the End of Tournament Ball," Harry explained. "As it stands, I won't really have many friends there, with the rule the way it is now. I was hoping that maybe...maybe you could see your way to letting all of the 4th year students attend the ball, since I am a 4th year?"

"You aren't friends with that many upper years, are you?" the Headmaster asked as he began to play with his beard. "Aside from the brothers Weasley, and any lower-year that an upperclassman might ask, of which you have no control over..."

"No. You see the problem, sir?" Harry asked shyly.

"I do. I'll confer with the other Heads of House, and the other schools and see what they say. The Ball rules aren't determined by the tournament, you understand? Professor McGonagall and I came up with them, so there should be no reason why we can't honour your request, my boy," Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded and then rose. "Thank you, sir," he said softly.

"Anytime I can be of help to you, I shall try to do so, young Harry," came Dumbledore's reply.

**

Harry left the Headmaster's office quickly, but he was careful to keep the grin off of his face until he was far, far away from the stone Phoenix.

*********************

TBC


	28. Second Part of May

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second part of May.  
> There's a ball announcement, a meeting Harry has with Blaise's Uncle, a thing Harry does which is nice and Harry and Theo make up.
> 
> You can see the full Ball announcement here:  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/13749963/chapters/32097717

On Monday, the announcement went around that every student 4th year and older would be allowed to attend the ball, provided they had tickets, formal dress wear and they had an escort.

Harry was secretly gleeful, but didn't say anything about his conversation with the Headmaster.

**

On Wednesday, Harry skipped all his classes to attend to some business in Hogsmeade. It was a sanctioned day, he had permission from his guardians to attend to Potter Estate business.

Harry dressed in his business, professional robes and met Luca Aberto Zabini of the Clan of the Risen (Blaise's Uncle) in a meeting room at Penwell's. Penwell's was the Hogsmeade branch of Gringotts, and while Harry couldn't access his actual, physical vaults from the bank, he could access his money and all information about his titles, deeds, land, and inheritances.

Harry and Blaise had decided a few months before that his Uncle was far more qualified to be Harry's estate manager. As estate manager, Sir Zabini worked with the Potter and Peverell account managers (both Goblins with Gringotts) to maintain the accounts, make solid investments, investigate and maintain any deeds, land or properties and advise Harry on all of it. As estate manager, Sir Zabini had access to nearly all of Harry's account information, but had no access to Harry's money (aside from the fee Harry paid him) and needed Harry's signed consent for any investments or money changing hands (as did the Goblins).

The room was warm for a late May afternoon, but Harry didn't mind. His business, professional robes were kind of chilly. 

Sir Zabini sat at a round table, he stood and bowed when Harry approached him.

Harry bowed his head back, at Sir Zabini, and then they shook heads.

"Heir Potter, it's a pleasure to see you this afternoon," Sir Zabini said.

"And you, Sir Zabini of the Clan of the Risen," Harry intoned.

Sir Zabini waited until Harry had sat and then he took up his seat once more, and produced a sheaf of papers. "You may call me Luca, Heir Potter," he said before he handed one sheet of parchment to Harry.

Harry smiled. "I'd be honoured. You may, of course, call me Harry."

"Only when not in the company of others, as you will very soon outrank me, Harry," Luca said gently.

Harry nodded and then looked at the parchment. "So, this is your recommendation for what to do about the majority of gifts that I've received?" he asked as he looked at the composed letter in front of him.

"Yes, I suggest we submit that to both the _Prophet_ and the _Quibbler_ as a sort of blanket apology and a thank you -- since you weren't aware until sometime last year that you had gifts from nearly every magickal family in Great Britain," Luca explained. "The letter explains that, and sincerely apologizes, and then goes on to thank every family who left their name and the many who did not. There is only one gift that was so large and interesting that it would warrant your gratitude in person, but, alas, the family is dead, and they left their...castle to you, and legally they had every right to do so, and in turn, they also left you as the ruler of the Isle of Meryl."

"Wait, I'm its ruler?" Harry exclaimed. "But that can't be possible! I mean...how is that possible?"

"It is possible. Lady Elceon was descended from the long-ago Queen of the Isle of Meryl, making her the rightful ruler. The laws of the island also made her its rightful ruler, and she and her husband, Lord Elceon, passed not only the castle onto you, but the island itself. According to everything I've been able to gather, as I can't visit the island myself, you _are_ its rightful ruler now, just as you are the rightful owner of the castle," Luca said.

"But, do the people want me to rule?" Harry asked. "I mean...like a king?"

"You wouldn't be King Potter, no, because of your own status. You will be Lord Potter-Peverell, and no, there isn't anyone left on the island. The families who used to occupy it, have moved, near as I can tell, to Ireland proper. Mostly, however, they have died out," Luca explained. "So, it's an empty island, until you fill it with whomever. It'll be an excellent area for safe-houses and preparations and homes, really, during war times, should it come to that. Ideal, really."

"Alright. And what about all the items I've accrued due to the...generosity of complete strangers?" Harry asked.

"As per your instructions, I have itemized lists here of all the items." Luca handed Harry the rest of the parchment. "If the item is high-lighted in red, then we sold it, as per your instructions. If it's high-lighted in yellow, then we gave it to one of the magickal museums, or returned it to its rightful owner, depending. Anything not high-lighted was moved to a new vault, as per your instructions."

"Thank you," Harry said after taking a long look at the list. "This is perfect, and I'm very grateful for all your hard work, you and the Goblins."

"Of course, Heir Potter," Luca said gently. "It's what I'm here for. And Kelo of the Krebach Goblins is an excellent account manager; Gringotts should feel lucky to have her. May her gold runneth over and her enemies always be defeated. The Peverell account is in very good hands and has flourished these many years. The Potter account is very stable and also in good hands, Valspell, the account manager, has kept it well and Griphook is very good at assisting him in various things."

"Of course. Does that conclude our business?" Harry asked.

"Yes, if there's nothing else for me at present?" Luca asked. At Harry's shake of the head, he continued. "This summer, after you turn fifteen, you will need to go to the Isle of Meryl and sit upon the throne, and make decisions about your ruling celebration. I am more than happy to help you, once you've added me to the wards. You are, currently, the only person that can inhabit the island aside from the House-Elves. You will need to invite people, directly, to the island, once you've decided what to do with it."

"I'll take that under advisement. I haven't decided, yet, if it's a place I'll use," Harry explained. "But, thank you, again. Now, I have some other Penwell's business to attend to and then some shopping in Hogsmeade. So, I'll look forward to your next update, and I'll say hello to Blaise for you."

Luca nodded. "Thank you, Heir Potter. It's been a pleasure," he said as he rose. He bowed to Harry and then left.

Harry exited the meeting room and went to the nearest, available teller. He presented his identification and got three gift cheques for sixty-five galleons. When he was finished he made his way to the Hogsmeade Owlery.

**

At the Owlery, he lined up behind the others waiting to get their post sent.

From his bag he produced seven envelopes containing the tickets he'd purchased from Professor McGonagall earlier that day.

In the three envelopes labelled _Ron Weasley_ , _Emma Stewartson_ and _Mervyn Wynch_ , he added in the gift cheques. He also added a note saying that the cheques were meant to be used for formal dress robes or things needed for the ball, but that the person should keep whatever remained after. He didn't sign the notes.

In the other four envelopes, he simply included the ball tickets. He'd bought them for every student he knew who wouldn't be able to afford the tickets or whose parents wouldn't purchase them. This included Parvati Patil, Padma Patil, Seamus Finnigan and Megan Jones. He knew they all had dates and robes, just not the tickets.

After sending the envelopes off, Harry headed to Sir Fellum's Formal, a men's clothing shop in Hogsmeade, to get fitted for his formal robes for the ball.

**

Back at Hogwarts, Harry went first to the Owlery. 

He sent Hedwig off with a formal, beautifully engraved invitation to Theo. The invitation was Harry's way of asking Theo to the ball, but it also included a couple of other things. Included was a long letter of apology for the way he'd been distant over the last few weeks, and the invitation also included a request to discuss a formal courtship.

A formal courtship, if Theo accepted, would mean they couldn't spend hours snogging anymore, at least until Harry turned fifteen, because until such a time as Harry came into his Lordship it would be improper and they'd need a chaperone for all dates. But, Harry hoped he accepted. At the end of the courtship they would have the choice to marry, bond or go their separate ways, but the courtship rituals were beautiful and provided a lot of security and promise for both parties.

Harry smiled softly as he watched Hedwig take off through the open window, and then he turned and headed back to the castle. He had just enough day left to attend dinner, even if he would be quite early.

***

On Thursday, Theo slid onto the chair next to Harry in Muggle Skills Course B.

He leaned towards Harry and whispered, "I'd love to go to the ball with you. Your letter and the invitation were beautiful and I absolutely accept your apology and your invitation to the ball, Harry."

Harry grinned and nodded.

"And the rest?" he asked.

"I would very much like to talk about it. How about Friday, after classes?" Theo asked.

"Yes, I'd like that," Harry responded. "Now...how did you do with the Algebra homework? Was it understandable to you?"

Theo gave a little laugh and opened his textbook, his provided muggle notebook where he took notes, and the unrolled parchment that contained his homework. 

"Yes," he said. "I understood it. The linear equations are sort of fun, in a way. And I look forward to how on Merlin's earth it'll help us with tomorrow's Arithmancy lesson, but I do have to say that I don't look forward to the math exam next month."

"It's the graphing, isn't it? We can't really understand how graphing will help us in Arithmancy, because given that we do _some_ drawing with it, more calculating and utilizing numbers than drawing, but we do some drawing, but not necessarily graphing," Harry rambled.

"Exactly. So, then, how will graphing help us?" Theo asked, but before Harry could come up with a response, Professor Johanneson beckoned their attention to the front of the class and began a demonstration of one of the homework problems.

Harry grinned to himself as they began the review of the work. Theo was going to ball with him! And they were going to talk about a formal courtship. Life felt good again.

***************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current galleon exchange rate for 1 galleon is:  
> £4.93  
> $6.64  
> €5.58
> 
> So, I used that and some research about current clothes prices, to determine the gift cheque amounts.


	29. The Courtship Agreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Theo discuss a courtship contract.
> 
> This is that extra chapter I promised you guys. It's really, really short and is pretty much only focused on Theo and Harry creating their Courtship contract.
> 
> **This chapter explains an important point for Fred/Luna, and I'm sorry about it, but these things happen.
> 
> Heads up! After this, there's only 3 chapters left -- and they all take place in June.

On Friday, Harry and Theo sat down, across from each other, at a table in the Wizarding Culture class.

Classes were over for the day and it was about halfway through dinner time. They both thought it was very appropriate to hash out the details of their courtship contract in the classroom that ran a course that discussed them in detail.

"So, you really want to do this?" Theo asked gently.

"Have a formal courtship?" Harry was suspicious of the question. "Yes, why?"

Theo blushed. "It will change the entire way we interact together, and not allow us time alone until after your first session on the Wizengamot, so I just wanted to be sure that this is what you wanted. It'll mean we can't visit each other this summer, unless accompanied by a chaperone," he explained. "And it means not violating the rules of the Courtship contract, which include not doing anything sexual in nature until I'm seventeen."

"I'm not ready to have sex anyway," Harry said. "I know I'm going to be Lord Potter-Peverell, but I'm nowhere near ready to have sex, and I like making out with you, Theo....okay, I love it, but...sometimes I feel like we're going to go too far, too fast. I think a Courtship contract will help us slow down, and I like the traditional aspects of it. Neville and George have one. Blaise and Ginny have one. Are there reasons you don't want one?"

"I like kissing you. It's the only reason I can think of, Harry," came Theo's reply.

Harry laughed. "That's good to know." He grinned at Theo for a moment. "Is that the only thing you're worried about?"

"I'm glad we get to set the terms. I would like it to stipulate that we're allowed to kiss, provided it doesn't go any further than kissing with allowances for stimulation of a romantic nature provided it's above the waist," Theo said plainly.

"Okay. I think I can agree to that," Harry replied. He scribbled a few lines down on the parchment in front of him. "Kissing is allowed, provided it doesn't go much further than that. 'Much further' to be decided by both parties, in the moment, but sexual intercourse of any kind is prohibited until both parties are seventeen. Does that sound alright?"

Theo nodded. "That leaves room for us to decide how far we want or are ready to go, but makes it clear that we won't be having sex. Thank you."

Harry smiled. "Alright, so we've established the physical stuff. We need to discuss gifts -- what's acceptable and at what points in time, and do I do all the gift giving, or did you want to give me gifts too?"

"We also need to talk about the dowry clause and the options for fulfilling the contract at the end, if we've decided to stay together. Marriage or bonding, and if we choose to bond then we need to lay the ground work for that as well," Theo said.

"And what each of us walk away with if we decide to go our separate ways at the end of the contract term," Harry added.

At Theo's nod, Harry continued. "Okay, so, if you could go over the dowry clause part, then I can discuss the options for the contract end or fulfillment terms."

"Alright. Well, my dowry includes approximately fifty-five hundred galleons and a parcel of land in Eerkettahn with the purpose of building a house on it. I imagine your parents didn't put forth a dowry for you, in the event that you'd be the minor party in a Courtship, but since you are the major party, we don't need you to have a dowry," Theo explained.

"No, they didn't. But if we decide to marry or bond, there will be a stipulation about divorce or separation wherein I provide for you. We're both Lords in our own right. My taking the major part is the only reason we have to adhere to the chaperone and the sex clauses. If we were allowed to go into this thing as equals, we wouldn't have to worry about the dowry or anything. But, traditional, ancient laws are what they are," Harry said, shifting uncomfortably.

"We could go into it as equals, if we decided to not sign a Courtship contract between us, you know, Harry," Theo said softly. "We could just be a couple, until we're not."

"Your father wants it. And so do I. If you don't want it, then that's okay. And we can go about it another way," Harry said.

Theo smiled. "You talked to my father?"

"He sent me a letter," Harry explained. "He was made aware of our relationship by a third party and wanted to know, since I come into my Lordship in July, what my intentions are."

"That's sweet of him," Theo replied. "But, I wish he hadn't done that -- stepped in, made those demands of you."

"Well, it's what I want too. And we know we can get out of it, if we word it all well, and put in those cautious measures. Like Luna and Fred did, you know? They just annulled their Courtship contract, and they both seem fine with it," said Harry.

"I wouldn't say they're fine. More...resigned. Luna said she knows he's really meant for someone else, and no matter what she did, she couldn't see anything in their future when she looked. I think she's sad. But, I understand what you mean -- they got out of it, without magickal repercussions and without a big mess or fight," Theo said.

"I know," Harry said. "And I feel badly for her. But, my point is....they'll recover."

Theo nodded.

Harry took some notes on the parchment again and then said, "Approximately fifty-five hundred galleons and a parcel of land in Eerkettahn, so noted as your dowry. Now, the contract terms are...the Courtship contract stands until you turn seventeen, at which time both parties will negotiate a new contract or let the relationship end, full stop."

"Those are agreeable terms. Now, which did you want to pursue...marriage or bonding?" Theo asked.

"I would rather bond, and have it in the terms that we'll seek a bonding. Bonding shows up in muggle records as a marriage, right?" At Theo's nod, Harry continued. "So, then that leaves what sort of bond."

"There are three," Theo explained. "There's the kind of which you can set the bond for a certain number of years, and then when the time is up you can renew the bond or go your separate ways. Then, there's the kind of bond which lasts for the lifetime of the wizards or witches involved, but can be broken with elaborate ritual magicks. Finally, there's the soul bond, which lasts beyond death and confirms whether or not the couple are soulmates -- and _that_ one isn't breakable."

"Right. So, I'm on board for either the second type or the last type, but I don't think I want the first type -- it's just a muggle marriage with an element of magick, or ritual," Harry explained.

"Okay, so...no to the Marriage Bond, but you'd accept either the Perennial Bond or the Soulmate Bond. That's acceptable as well," Theo replied.

"Great." Harry made additional notes. "So, then, on your seventeenth birthday, if you or I or we decide to not go through with our relationship, you will leave the Courtship contract with your dowry and an additional six thousand galleons. I want to stipulate that you will also have a home on the Isle of Meryl, if you no longer want to live in your father's house or cannot find accommodations for yourself."

"That's very generous, Harry," Theo said. "And there will be no magickal repercussions for ending our contract. We also need to settle on terms for what qualifications we each need to meet in order to end the contract early, if we want to."

Harry grinned. "Yes, if we want to. And then, finally, we need to establish regular days we'll see each other, barring unforeseen circumstances or illness, and the whole thing about the gifts."

Theo nodded. "Alright, let's get into all of that. After we're done, I'll submit the notes and paperwork to my solicitor and she'll draw up the contract and then we'll utilize Blaise's Uncle to be our witness when we both sign it. Does that sound acceptable?"

Harry smiled. "That sounds great."

They spent the rest of the evening hammering out the details -- taking notes on the various aspects -- of the Courtship contract. When they were finished, they went to the Owlery together to send the paperwork off to Miss Beasley, Theo's lawyer.

***********************

TBC


	30. Exams and the Patronus Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> June 1st through June 11th, in a sort of overview.  
> And then there's the last club meeting on 12th June.
> 
> There's only three chapters left! :)
> 
>  
> 
> I am disregarding some of what the Wiki says about the Patronus Charm, but that shouldn't surprise you as I've had multiple spells and magick-related things here that are different than canon. Additionally, these patronuses (aside from Luna's) will not be the same as in canon.

From first, June until seventh, June the students had a plethora of classes and lectures that were devoted to reviewing the course material from the year in order to prepare them for exams.

On eighth, June the students began their very long week of exams.

On June eighth, Harry sat the exams for Wizarding Law and Government, History of Magick, and Muggle Skills Course A before lunch. During lunch, he reviewed for the written portion of the Herbology exam and for the written portion of the Care of Magickal Creatures exam which would take place that afternoon.

He thought he'd done pretty well during all the writtens so far, but he did really look forward to the practical Charms exam, which was tomorrow morning.

**

At nine in the morning on Wednesday (the ninth of June), Harry participated in the practical Charms exam.

The Charms exam was pretty easy for him, honestly. They had to demonstrate all the charms they'd learned that year and turn in their Year-End projects.

Harry summoned a book, repaired a broken mirror, pulled a chair towards himself (with _Carpe Retractum_ ), vanished a sticky mess into the abyss, banished a stack of clothes down to the laundry, and used a variation of the banishing charm to remove his own shoes and then brought them back. Finally, he practiced all the counter charms to the charms he'd already performed.

After that, he headed to Greenhouse Four for the practical portion of the Herbology exam. It was over quickly, as part of it was him and Neville turning in their Year-End project and the other part was each of them identifying certain plants. Harry knew, upon leaving for lunch, that he'd gotten full marks.

After lunch, he went up to take the Muggle Skills Course B exam (they'd turned in their group project the week before); which was followed by a quick walk across the hall to take the written for Muggle Skills Course C. Before dinner, he sat the exam for Study of Ancient Runes.

Dinner was a nice break from the long day, but he still had one more exam after it.

After dinner, he headed down to the Care of Magickal Creatures paddocks with the rest of the fourth years taking it and spent an hour accurately naming, feeding, tending the animals.

**

On Thursday, Harry sat the exams for Ancient Studies, Rites and Rituals, and turned in his Year-End project for Wandlore. 

Luckily, the Year-End project for Wandlore, where he'd sourced a wand-core and a wand-wood and written an essay about it, served as the final exam for the year and Harry didn't have to do any other work.

Lunch was a much-needed break from tests and Harry enjoyed it with his friends, though nearly everyone reviewed the entire time.

After lunch, Harry took the practical exam for Rites and Rituals and when that was over he headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts for its written exam. The practical would be after breakfast on Monday.

The written exam was a bit more extensive than Harry had thought it would be, and even though he felt he'd done a good job...he still had felt woefully unprepared while taking it.

**

On Friday, the students had a well-deserved break before exams would begin again on Monday. 

The break consisted of the morning off of any classes, then there were two lectures (one before lunch, one after) before the finale game of the Hogwarts Quidditch Bowl.

Harry had decided to end his Hogwarts quidditch career early and had quit the team back in September. So, for the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin game, Seeker Ginny Weasley would attempt to win against Seeker Draco Malfoy. Because, of course, the final game was Gyffindor against Slytherin. As Harry had predicted.

**

Draco Malfoy caught the snitch six minutes into the game, when Gryffindor had been up by only twenty points.

No one blamed Ginny, these things happened sometimes, but it meant that the Quidditch Cup went to Slytherin for the first time since Harry had been a student.

There was a moment during the catch, when Harry was silently cheering Draco and Slytherin on, that he wished he'd let the hat put him where it wanted, but he shrugged it off and forgot it as the entirety of the Slytherin stands jumped to their feet in ovation and cheering.

**

That night, after the Quidditch Bowl, Harry attended dance lessons with the rest of the Champions. It was his second-to-last lesson, and he looked forward to it. Theo would be joining him for this lesson, as he had the one before, and then for the final lesson before the ball. Dancing with Theo was a real joy.

Afterwards, the Slytherin party went long into the night -- celebrating winning the Quidditch cup. Harry attended for a little while, before excusing himself to study and get to sleep early.

***

The idea of the last club meeting coming up had spurred Harry into action.

A new secrecy scroll, with new spells attached, had gone around and the old scrolls had been destroyed in a ritual that would cleanse the previous members [members who had left] of their memories of the club. Only Luna and Millicent would retain their club memories, after Harry had tweaked the ritiual to allow it. He felt bad about the memory wipe, but it couldn't be avoided. Professor Snape had helped him with it and he was grateful.

The group had also decided on and designed a new way to inform each other about club meetings. Each member now wore a bracelet around their non-dominant wrist. The bracelet contained a number of undetectable charms and a warding spell, and was tailored to each witch or wizard.

Among its charms, each had a flat portion which would read the time and day of the next meeting, only after Harry had set it on his own bracelet. Each bracelet had a small stone which would also act as a portkey to whisk the member to the meeting location. Professor Snape had requested that they stop using the Chamber for every meeting, to keep it more secret, and it had been another idea Harry had been happy to implement. He didn't want any of them getting caught.

Harry's bracelet was dark brown, with a purple bead that acted as a portkey. 

***

**12th June**

Harry stood in front of the gathered club members. Their numbers had dwindled over the course of the year, but they had stayed pretty strong throughout. Tonight, they had lost a few members, but gained another. Fred Weasley had decided to join his brother and sister in the club.

He handed Fred a bracelet and gave a wan smile. It was a black band with a bright yellow faux gem in the middle and a sort of swirled yellow pattern around the band.

"Wear it at all times, the gem acts as a portkey to the meeting place. It'll portkey you in and out, and it can also be used in case of emergency, but when not tethered to a meeting location, it'll drop you somewhere you consider safe. I know you can apparate, but it's not possible to do so on Hogwarts grounds, so...yeah," Harry finished lamely.

Fred went over immediately to compare his bracelet to his twin's, and then Harry got the club's attention once more.

"I'm sad that we've lost a few more members, because tonight we're not practicing dark magick or dark arts. The good news is that Luna has been practicing this charm since she was eight years old, and has been performing it successfully since the age of eleven. It would have been nice to teach the other members, though," Harry said.

"My sister had a bit too much on her plate, she meant no offense, Heir Potter," Astoria said quietly.

Harry nodded. "I know, there's no offense taken. Millie had similar reasons for dropping the club, as did Heir Parkinson. And I know Luna had a very good reason as well, so, it's alright."

Astoria nodded, and the rest of the Slytherins shifted into slightly relaxed poses. Harry held back a grin.

"I know we're all really busy with exams, and that Astoria is very busy with her NEWTS, while Mervyn is equally busy with his OWLS, so I thought we'd do something light and sort of fun today," he continued.

"What are we learning, Heir Potter?" Draco asked.

Harry smiled. "Today, I'm going to teach you the Patronus Charm."

"Sounds good, Harry!" Fred called from his position near George and Neville.

"There are two ways to successfully cast a patronus, but most teachers just teach the first way -- because it can be easier. But, it is my theory that it isn't easier if you have worse memories than someone else, and we should be taught both methods for casting it, because it's dead useful," Harry explained. "So I'm going to demonstrate my patronus, explain the incantation and the wand movement, and then I'm going to tell you how I cast it. Then, each of you will try -- with my help, and then you'll break into groups and help each other."

Professor Snape stepped out of the shadows. "I will walk among you to aid you in casting it as well. It is mere myth that those with a sway towards the dark cannot cast it, as it is also myth that those with predominantly gray magick will have difficulties. This is not true. I have cast the patronus charm since I was fifteen, and nothing in my past has stopped me," he said simply before melting back into the shadows. 

Harry nodded. "Exactly. So, now...the incantation is _expecto patronum_ and the wand movement is like a short spiral, with your wand directly out in front of you, tip pointed outwards," he explained. "Until you cast it properly, you'll get a wispy shield or vapor, but once you've cast it correctly you'll get an animal, or at least the clear shape of one."

He took a step back and using the method of _will_ , knowing he could cast a corporeal patronus because he'd done it so many times already, and utilizing his core magickal strength, he cast. 

" _Expecto patronus!_ ," Harry shouted and from the tip of his wand exploded a blueish white light, which quickly became his Thestral patronus. He smiled softly at it as his eyes met Theo's from across the room.

"In order to conjure it, most of you will need concentration, real focus, the ability to pull on your magickal core and the very happiest memory you can remember," Harry said. "Now, for those of you without happy memories to pull from, or without a memory that is happy enough...I conjure the patronus, in its corporeal form, because I know I can. I conjure it successfully due to _will_ , the ability to see myself conjuring it, pulling on my magickal core, and the absolute belief that I will succeed. Try either way. See what works for you. Now, let's begin."

Harry approached Theo first. "Alright, Heir Nott, let's give it a try," he said with a little laugh.

Theo bowed his head slightly and then smoothly said, " _Expecto patronum_!" and made the correct wand movement. Light burst from his wand and the Eerkettahn Thestral took center stage in the circular room. It walked around for a few moments before vanishing.

"That's great, Theo!" said George.

"What is it?" asked Neville.

Theo smiled and shook his head before stepping back into the group of Slytherins.

"Alright, who's next?" Harry asked loudly.

**

The group practiced for two hours. By the time they left, and had said their goodbyes and exchanged meaningful words about friendship and keeping in touch over the summer, every club member had produced their patronus.

Ginny had produced an albatross patronus. 

George's was a badger, while Neville had produced, to most of the group's surprise, a lion. Fred's patronus was a heron. 

Sally-Anne and Eve had practiced together, each producing a unique patronus. Sally-Anne's was a red panda, while Eve's was a red fox (you could tell by its markings).

Blaise's patronus was an antelope, while Draco's was a Tasmanian devil.

Astoria had been performing the charm for almost a year and hadn't wanted to reveal hers, but in the end the other Slytherins had convinced her and she'd produced her polar bear patronus.

Lastly, Mervyn's patronus was a jackal.

The group left tired, but happy, and everyone felt the last meeting had gone really well.

***********

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Club Roster:  
> Harry Potter  
> Theo Nott  
> Draco Malfoy  
> Blaise Zabini  
> Eve Parkinson  
> Sally-Anne Perks  
> Neville Longbottom  
> Mervyn Wynch  
> Astoria Greengrass  
> Ginny Weasley  
> George Weasley  
> Fred Weasley


	31. The Third Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's last exams, and then the final, third task.
> 
> Two chapters left to go! :)

On Monday morning, Harry participated in the exams for Wizarding Culture and the written portion of the exam for Transfiguration before lunch.

Lunch was nice, because it was a much easier day than the exams from the week before. Harry and his friends ate in the Great Hall and talked about their summer plans, before they headed off to whatever was next.

Harry, Theo, Neville, Blaise and Sally-Anne headed outside to an area of the grounds reserved for the Rites and Rituals course. They had one last pre-summer event to attend. High Priestess Zabini was having various circles throughout the day for her Old Religion students. 

It wasn't a mandatory event, actually, since their end-of-year projects were already turned in and the exam had been had the previous week. Harry and his friends wanted to attend because it was the only summer solstice related circle they would all be able to attend together.

Before dinner, he went down to the dungeons with his peers and took the written portion of the exam for Potions. It took nearly two hours and by the end of it, Harry wasn't sure if he'd done well or not.

**

On Tuesday, Harry and his friends took a long breakfast, as they didn't have exams until after lunch.

After breakfast, there was a pick-up quidditch game where Harry watched Ravenclaw play Hufflepuff, and cheered heartily for both. 

At lunch, he sat the written exam for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

After lunch, he sat the Arithmancy exam, and was really glad that there wasn't a practical portion. He was already exhausted and it was only Tuesday.

Harry spent dinner in Hagrid's hut, having a tense dinner with Ron and Hermione, since Hagrid wasn't aware of the estrangement between Hermione and Harry or the negative strain between Hermione and Ron.

He went to the library after dinner and spent an hour reading up on Astronomy and re-checking facts for the written portion of the Astronomy exam.

After studying, he headed to the tower for the exam and was pretty pleased with both the questions and his answers.

**

On Wednesday after breakfast he headed straight to the Potions classroom for the Potions practical. It took two and a half hours, but Harry was very pleased with his results and he was relieved that Neville seemed to have done well too.

Lunch was rather subdued for him, because eating right after creating a long and arduous potion was also a little dicey. 

After lunch, he took the practical exam for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Once the exam was over, in which Harry demonstrated all of the DADA spells they'd learned that year, he reviewed his exam schedule.

From what he could tell, he still had the practicals for both Transfiguration and Astronomy, but that should be pretty much it. After today, exams would be over and Harry could concentrate on the Third Task, which was on Friday.

Finally the day was done, and Harry spent the rest of the night relaxing with his friends in the Room of Requirement.

***

**Friday, The Third Task**

The morning before the Third Task, Harry took out the three clues from the Second Task. With a little help from Cedric, they had both figured out what the three clues were and meant, and now Harry just had to take them with him to the field.

The three clues were an invisibility cloak, that he'd have to give back, a weirdly shaped stone that didn't make sense but at least Cedric had one too (shaped a bit differently), and a large puzzle piece (which didn't fit Cedric's, but was clearly from the same puzzle).

That afternoon, after lunch, Harry and the other Champions were portkeyed to the field that the task was being held in.

All audience members would be portkeyed over in about half an hour, but the Champions were being given a little time to acclimate to the conditions before they could begin the task. 

Each were put under the spell to take away their senses and then taken to stand in a particular location on the field and told to wait until further instructions were given. Every Champion pocketed their puzzle pieces and had to give their stone over to the committee running the task -- which consisted of all the judges and a few lower ministry employees.

**

That evening, Harry huddled in the borrowed invisibility cloak and tried not to panic. He clutched his wand to his chest as a comfort object. There was rising noise from the viewing-platforms around him, and he knew something large and flat was in front of him, but he couldn't _see_ or sense what it was. He could hear, and that was all. It made him nervous.

"Alright, alright, ladies and gentlemen and the magickal community at large!" Mr. Bagman announced. "Here we are at the finale of the Tri Wizard Tournament!"

"The spell will be cancelled on the Champions one at a time, beginning with Heir Diggory and ending with Mr. Watts. Once the spell has been lifted, Mr. Diggory will have the first two minutes to find his position on the field, and then Heir Potter, followed by Miss McGee, and then Lord Krum who will be followed by Lady Gresage and finally, Mr. Watts. The Champions are under invisibility cloaks, and have been instructed on when to take them off," said Sir Crouch.

"When all the Champions are on the field, they will then engage in a battle. All magick is acceptable, except for the Unforgivables or any illegal curses. Nothing that would result in the loss of limb or life, but blood loss is acceptable as are other injuries," Mr. Bagman explained. "The point to the battle is for one Champion to...steal the other Champions' puzzle pieces and place them on the altar in the center. Any Champion who makes it to the altar with their own puzzle piece is allowed to place it on the altar."

"Whoever places the most puzzle pieces wins the Task, but not the Tournament. The goal is to defeat opponents _and_ gain their puzzle piece or pieces and then place those pieces on the altar. The altar will record which wizard or witch places the pieces, and at the end -- after all pieces are placed -- we will count who the winner of the task is," Sir Crouch explained.

"When the puzzle is completed, the Champion who completes it will have one chance to figure out where the trophy is located. If they then find the trophy, they win the Tournament. If they fail, the battle begins again and the next Champion to touch the altar gets the chance to solve where the trophy is. And so on and so on, so that every Champion has an equal opportunity to win," said Mr. Bagman.

**

When the sans-senses spell was lifted off of Harry, he breathed a sigh of relief and pointed his wand out in front of him. The invisibility cloak was wrapped tightly around him and he knew he had to wait until he was positioned behind the stone pillar that looked exactly like the clue he'd received. As it turned out, he'd been behind a huge gray screen, rather than something more substantial.

Harry looked around for the pillar and made his way to it. It was huge and had one side with a lip that came around, to sort of enclose him. The top was craggy and had sharp points and the other side swooped low to the ground. He went over to it quickly, careful to keep within the two minutes time period he had. He placed himself inside the little enclosure and waited for the all-clear to remove the cloak.

Bright lights went off in the sky and Harry dropped the cloak to the ground and ran to the right, around the pillar. He kept low, with his wand and wand-arm at the ready. The puzzle pieces resisted the _accio_ charm, so Harry knew he'd have to beat everyone else in order to win. Truth be told, he didn't really want to win. But he didn't want to go down without a fight.

Harry dodged a red spell to his left and pivoted around. He blasted off a silent _Expelliarmus_ at Mila as she came around the corner of a giant square, stone pillar and had her wand in an instant. Knowing she was an excellent dueler herself, especially coming from Durmstrang, he figured he'd just gotten lucky.

He walked quickly towards her, but veered around behind her instead of facing her head on. He knew, from a conversation he'd overheard, that she had some wandless ability. He hadn't moved fast enough and just managed to roll out of the way of her hastily cast, but wandless, _stupefy_!

Harry twirled his wand in a protective pattern and then swept it low, aiming for her feet, and cast _petrificus totalus_. As her body thunked to the ground in its petrified state, he searched her pockets for the puzzle piece. He found it, attached it to the inside of his dueling cloak and returned her wand. He moved on -- the paralysis would only be temporary and he didn't want to be on the other side of her wandless abilities any longer than need be. 

He kept low to the ground and dove behind trees and small outcroppings of rocks for cover as he looked around for Viktor, Richard or Adelaide. He really didn't want to have to come up against Cedric unless he had to -- they were friends.

He needn't have worried. Viktor and Cedric were engaged in a battle far across the field, busy trying to outdo each other. He looked around for one of the others and found Adelaide crouching behind a tree. She seemed to be attempting some sort of ritual. He cast his gaze on the darkened field and felt a stab of annoyance. Richard was behind Harry's pillar, just staring at him.

Harry squared his shoulders and, keeping low, marched in Richard's direction. 

He circled around and cast his patronus. The Thestral proved to be a good distraction as Richard looked right at it, and seemed awed. Even Adelaide seemed to pause in what she was doing to watch it canting around the field.

Harry struck. He cast a tripping jinx on Richard and as Richard fell, he cast a spell to pull Richard towards him. It wasn't the same spell they'd learned in Charms, because that couldn't be used on humans. This could, and was dark, but not illegal. 

The spell broke as Richard did some complex movement with his wand and hands and a chant, and then Richard whirled to face him.

Harry's first real battle had begun.

***

The battle on the field, between various Champions, raged for hours. No puzzle pieces had been placed yet.

People cheered, shouted, booed, and even sang as they waited for the Champions to fall. The audience seemed largely on Harry's side, but it wasn't to be.

Harry'd done an amazing job, and had managed to take down Mila, Richard and Adelaide by himself. But coming up against Viktor just hadn't worked in his favour, and had required a little alliance with Cedric.

Together, Cedric and Harry took down Viktor Krum in front of the majority of Wizarding Britain and then they turned their wands on each other. Harry laughed, Cedric shook his head, and the battle begun.

It was brutal.

Harry was exhausted, and he could tell he'd be easily reaching magickal exhaustion soon -- which he could ill afford. Sighing, he contemplated his strategy. If he could place the pieces he'd collected, then at least he'd win the task, even if Cedric won the tournament.

He cast a confusion charm at Cedric powerful enough to take even Auror Moody down and ran. He raced towards the altar, hoping that he'd bought himself enough time. He didn't have the strength left to keep fighting, and he felt it likely that Cedric knew it.

Well, better men and all, Harry thought.

He slammed his pieces on the altar and they arranged themselves in place. He whirled around just in time to take a _Stupefy_ to the chest. Harry fell back. The breath left his lungs. He blinked and saw stars.

"Fuck," he shouted.

The audience laughed.

The last thing he saw before total blackout was Cedric's wand.

********************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the third task people! Hopefully you're all okay with how it went. :)


	32. End-Of-Tournament Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and his friends attend the End of Tournament Ball.
> 
> Short chapter. Just to gloss over the ball and some other details. :)  
> Only one more, very short, chapter to go!

The pale, pearly light flittering across his closed eyelids was Harry's first indicator that he was in the Infirmary. He was acutely acquainted with the way the light played in the Infirmary and knew immediately he could be nowhere else.

"Shit," he muttered to himself.

"Language, Heir Potter!" Madam Pomfrey said from somewhere nearby.

Harry blinked and slowly sat up. "Sorry, Madam," he said contritely.

"We will excuse it this once and chalk it up to the magickal exhaustion you suffered," she replied.

Harry sighed and leaned against the iron headboard. "How bad was it?"

"It is half-past noon on Saturday, Heir Potter. The exhaustion wasn't terribly bad, but it was enough combined with your other injuries to put you out of commission for more than twelve hours," Madam Pomfrey responded.

"Did Cedric win?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Yes, Heir Diggory won the Tournament. You won the task, but he won the Tournament. You'll receive 1,000 galleons and 300 house points, for winning the majority of the tasks. Heir Diggory solved the puzzle clue and won the Tournament. Fame, glory, fortune and the trophy were his prizes. We are all very proud of the way you performed," she answered.

"I...hadn't expected that," Harry replied lamely.

"Yes, well, if that's all, I do have some actual healing to do today, Heir Potter," Madam Pomfrey said.

Harry laughed. "When can I go? I have the ball to get ready for, and...stuff."

"I am going to get a lunch tray for you, and then there are three potions you need to take, and then you will wait until Lord Black and Mr. Lupin come and fetch you. You are not to leave the infirmary on your own, do I make myself clear?" she said.

Harry nodded and then waited for his lunch.

After lunch, he took three potions -- a green nutrient potion, a blue calming draught, and a silvery potion he'd never seen before. Oddly enough it tasted like dates and had bits of some kind of seed in it, but Harry didn't complain.

**

"Ready to go, Harry?" Remus asked as he came into the room. Sirius followed closely behind him.

Harry slipped his wand into the harness on his arm, buttoned the front of his dueling robe, and smiled. "Yeah, but you're just taking me to my dorm, right?"

Sirius sighed. "We're taking you home, Harry."

Harry frowned. "I have plans tonight."

Remus elbowed Sirius in the side. "We're not taking you home before the ball, Harry. Only after."

"Oh, okay. Why am I not riding the train?" Harry asked.

"We're already here, it seems pointless not to stay for the ball and then take you home with us. Other parents are taking their kids home tonight, after the ball, too. You won't be the only one," Sirius explained.

Harry nodded and refrained from mentioning that they were not his parents. His relationship with them was strained enough as it was.

**

**The Ball**

At seven thirty that evening, Harry met Theo in front of the doors to the Great Hall.

Harry bowed formally to Theo, who bowed back, and then he tugged him into a small alcove just off of the Great Hall.

"Our contract has been hammered out, witnessed, signed, filed and accepted," Harry said gently. "So, I wanted to give you this." He handed Theo a small signet ring.

The ring was designed in the shape of a snake, but its face was the Potter crest. It was small, and wouldn't fit anywhere but on Theo's pinky finger, but that was fine since it was meant as a formal courtship ring and not, say, an engagement ring.

Theo grinned and slipped the ring on.

Harry kissed his hand and then led them back to the doors. "You are officially in a courtship, my dear," he said formally.

Theo laughed, but then nodded. "When do we go in?"

Harry looked around. "Here comes Professor McGonagall and the other Champions, so, I'd say we're going in soon."

**

After the first dance, where Harry and Theo successfully danced the Viennese Waltz, they retired to a table at the back for a drink, a snack, and to talk with their friends.

"Did you see Hermione with Lord Krum?" Ginny asked. She wore dress-robes the colour of cornflowers, which set off her brown eyes.

Harry nodded and adjusted his Black House cuff-link on his left wrist in order to look busy.

"She made an excellent choice with the dark-violet dress robes," Blaise commented.

"Miss Chang looked lovely in the gold, alongside Heir Diggory," Draco Malfoy said. Everyone had been surprised by Fred inviting him to the ball as his date, but no one had said anything. Yet.

"Luna looks brilliant in silver and pink, tonight," said Harry. "I didn't realize she was on such good terms with Zacharias though."

"She wanted to go," Fred said quietly. "But, she couldn't get Millie to take her, so...next best option."

Draco patted Fred awkwardly on the arm.

"Lee and Angelina look nice," Neville said.

"I can't believe Mervyn didn't tell us he was going with Lady Gresage, that was a bit of a surprise!" Ginny exclaimed.

"I think everyone looks lovely," Lavender Brown said hesitantly. She was clutching to Ron tightly, who was trying not to make faces at the Slytherins around him.

"Do you think Dean and Seamus are here as...well, you know... a couple?" Ron asked as his ears turned red.

"Er, yeah, Ron. They've been a couple all year," Harry said, not unkindly.

"The Americans seem to be having a good time," Theo said. "They have been rather contained, though. Has anyone made friends with them?"

"They stayed on the fourth floor a lot," George said. "I had a couple of good conversations with a girl called Amanda, but mostly...they stayed in their rooms and in their dedicated classrooms."

"Except for those parts they were on the grounds for," commented Draco. "Then, you couldn't get away from them."

"Well, at least they practice magick in a fascinating way. It is more like the Old Religion than the way that we practice," Blaise said.

"What are we all talking about over here?" Sally-Anne asked as she and Eve came up behind the group.

"Everyone else," replied Ginny cheekily.

Sally-Anne laughed.

"Daphne's here with Heir Akimbo, did you know?" said Eve. "I didn't realize they knew each other."

"Heir Akimbo is a Slytherin fifth year, of course they know each other," chided Draco.

"It's a really lovely ball," Luna said softly as she wandered over. "Very pretty. Doesn't everyone look pretty?"

Harry laughed and tugged her in for a quick hug. "Everyone looks lovely, Luna."

"What'll you do with your winnings, Harry?" Ron asked, neatly changing the subject.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, Ron," he replied, but his eyes lit on Fred and George's eager faces.

****

The ball lasted until Midnight.

Theo and Harry danced several more times -- alone, slow -- and then danced in groups with their friends. They ate and drank and generally made merry. The entire gang had a marvelous time, and by the end everyone was happy, but exhausted.

******************

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Other Ball Couples:  
> Morrison MacDougal*/Tracey Davis; Pansy Parkinson/Cyril Meakin; Parvati Patil/Capin Adeep  
> Emma Stewartson/Terry Boot; Padma Patil/Kevin Entwhistle; Anthony Goldstein/Su Li  
> Justin Finch-Fletchley/Hannah Abbott; Ernie Macmillan/Susan Bones; Wayne Hopkins/Megan Jones  
> Katie Bell/Alicia Spinnet; Astoria Greengrass/Hugo Mattingley.
> 
>  For Hogwarts Students please see:  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/13749963/chapters/31596867


	33. Going Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The students go home for the summer holidays.
> 
> This is a really, really short house-keeping chapter, people. :)  
> Last chapter. :)

On Saturday, the majority of the students headed to the Hogsmeade Train Station to board the train to King's Cross.

Since a lot of them had spent the night partying, it was a later start than usual and the Hogsmeade train wouldn't be leaving until half-past noon, which would get them into King's Cross station by about eight-thirty that evening.

**

On the train, Theo sat in a compartment with Blaise, Ginny, Luna, Fred and George. 

Sally-Anne and Eve were sitting in a compartment with Millicent, Daphne, Emma and Tony. No one was all that sure where Harry or Neville were, but by consensus they'd all pretty much assumed that Lord Black and Mr. Lupin had retrieved Harry that morning, and George was pretty sure that Neville's grandmother had fetched him from school as well.

They passed the train ride talking about the Ball, about how well (or not) they'd all done on exams, discussing the current political situation and playing rounds of Exploding Snap. They ate snacks and talked about the coming summer and they also talked about what they might be learning in the coming school year.

**

At King's Cross Station, Theo said goodbye to his friends, and to Harry's friends (he was exceedingly polite to Ronald, for example) and then he left for Eerkettahn. He hoped Harry would write to him soon, or communicate via the mirror, but he just didn't know what was going on or if Harry'd even made it home yet.

Blaise promised to keep in touch, with regularity, and Theo had even exchanged post addresses with Ginny, Luna and Sally-Anne. 

George and Fred had confessed to him that they were somewhat worried about Harry and Neville, since neither had communicated. In Harry's case, they were concerned because they understood that Sirius was afraid of Harry's use of magick. They'd been concerned about Harry for some time, ever since his life at the Dursleys', but now they were worried that something bad might happen because of Sirius's fear of his own upbringing, of the Black family.

Theo had assured them that Harry and Neville were fine, but he didn't know for certain and he'd felt very odd about confirming a reality that might not be true. It went against his Slytherin nature, but he really didn't want anyone to spend their summer worrying.

Luna had been eerily quiet about the whole situation with Harry and Neville, which had unnerved the entire group, but Ginny seemed to think that everything would be okay and had made them all promise to write, often, throughout the summer.

***

Draco dragged Fred over to meet his mother, who was waiting for him at the platform.

Narcissa Malfoy greeted Fred kindly, but formally, and inquired politely about his family. Lucius was nowhere to be seen, and when Fred asked after him, Lady Black-Malfoy's face shut down.

"He is busy with business matters," Narcissa said coldly. 

"Oh. Well. Please tell him that I'm extending the hand of friendship to Draco's parents, from the Weasley family. With all due formality," Fred replied as he gave a slight bow.

Narcissa made an expression very similar to a smile and then nodded, before turning to Draco. "Dragon, dear, we do need to be going," she said quietly.

Draco nodded. "Of course, mother." He turned to look at Fred. "We'll be spending the first part of summer in France, but after that, I will be back in Britain and I expect to see you, Frederick."

Fred held back a laugh. Draco was the only one who ever called him that, and it was weird, to say the least. He nodded. "We'll set that up then," he replied.

Draco smiled and tilted his head, then graced Fred with a fond expression.

Narcissa nodded at Fred, and then gripped Draco's arm. She had some disturbing news to share with Draco and she needed to get them far away from any prying eyes or eavesdropping ears to disclose it. They would spend a month in France, just the two of them, like always, but then she had to impress upon him the seriousness of his father's actions.

She sighed and used side-along apparition to whisk her and her son away from the throng of people and the noise of King's Cross.

*****************************

END.

**Author's Note:**

> MY HP TIMELINE:  
> First Year: 2000-2001  
> Second Year: 2001-2002  
> Third Year: 2002-2003  
> Fourth Year: 2003-2004  
> Fifth Year: 2004-2005  
> Sixth Year: 2005-2006  
> Seventh Year: 2006-2007


End file.
